


Eloquent

by Camelabrakedabra



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Artists, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-28
Updated: 2020-03-25
Packaged: 2020-05-28 09:02:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 40,635
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19390879
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Camelabrakedabra/pseuds/Camelabrakedabra
Summary: Xu Minghao's name sounds beautiful on his lips. Wen Junhui's fingertips feel like electric on his skin.Three million won a month sounds like a decent starting wage for being the muse of five pieces of art a month, but it doesn't account for the emotional aspects of the job. The way that Minghao is instantly attracted to the artist, for example. The fact that the job role includes sleeping with the man who pays his bills. The jealousy when he sees the other models all over Junhui, and the way that he knows he couldn't possibly leave this job for any other job because he can't help but love it.Based around Fetishplay's Shibari chapter.





	1. Chapter 1

"Xu Minghao."

His name dripped off Wen Junhui's tongue like honey. It melted on his tongue and caramelised, and it sounded so beautiful when he said it that Minghao didn't ever want to hear his name on another person's lips. It would never be good enough; never sound so beautiful and passionate and so packed with desire that it made Minghao want the artist more than he could possibly describe in any way, shape or form.

There was something special about Wen Junhui's style of art. Something beautiful and intimate. Every time Minghao was his subject, he felt a little something in the pit of his stomach. He felt a rush of excitement every time that they tried something new. And he honestly wanted nothing more than to give his entire life to the arts now that he was on Junhui's team.

And sure, he wasn't necessarily included in the most impressive art in the beginning, but he was certainly there by that point in time. It was a sign that Junhui knew his body well enough to be able to make it look perfect, and that was something that Minghao saw as an achievement. It meant that he was able to twist his body in a variety of ways and make himself look amazing, and Junhui ate it up every single time without fail. Which was great, as far as he was concerned.

The experience started with them meeting at an artist convention. It was supposed to be a way for members of the public to look at the different art that was created by local artists, and for the artists to find new muses for their portraits. Minghao had gone for the former reason, figuring that since he was starting to take an interest in art, it would only make sense for him to go to a convention and actually get to know the artists a little bit more. And so off he went, trying his hardest to make sure that he saw every little piece and had a chat with as many artists as possible.

Until he came to Junhui.

At that point, Minghao was hit with a sudden spark of energy. The collection that Junhui was presenting was incredibly ambitious indeed. It looked as if it could have been a high school art project, frankly, but with more artistic vision. It was a mixed media collection and the theme was "natural beauty".

Minghao was suddenly faced with more naked bodies than he had seen before in his entire life. Ever. He wasn't really used to seeing naked men, but he was strangely interested and somewhat aroused by the sight. Especially since there was a range of different portrait styles on display. Some that were delicate and innocent. A man with long legs and a long body sat in a way that was covering most of his figure. His penis was slightly showing between his thighs, but it was mostly hidden. Even so, the artist had painted the body so exactly that Minghao could see everything he needed to see. The slightly darker skin on the inside of the man's thighs contrasting with the slightly lighter tip of his penis. The pinkish head poking out past the foreskin. Little hairs covering the man's thighs, which faded out towards his hips and returned on his forearms. A slight bruise on the man's hip, which looked as if it could have been caused by a clumsy accident, rather than someone else's hand.

Everything about the portrait was beautiful. It was intimate. It made Minghao want to find the muse and put him in that exact position and then simply graze his fingers over bare skin to see whether he felt as delicate as the painting made him look. He wanted that more than he could possibly put into words. It was crazy to think about how it made him feel like that after just a few seconds of interpreting the piece.

On the more intimate side, there was a charcoal drawing of a man with his thighs spread apart. He had a hand on his penis, with a trickle of fluid dribbling down the underside and pooling between his genitals and hand, and then there was what looked like a vibrating egg resting against his ass.

That left Minghao feeling surprised, and then confused, aroused, and excited all in a row. He was unsure for a few seconds as he tried to figure it out, but now he was feeling a lot more comfortable with the thought of that drawing. And it was, again, very detailed. The artist had put just as much effort into the details of this portrait as he had with the painted one. Minghao could see beads of sweat on the man's thighs and the shine of skin that had been faced with such intense arousal for just a bit too long. He could almost see the man's chest heaving with desire; the slight tremble of his hand as he tried his hardest to keep going and give the artist everything that he could possibly want for his art. Minghao could see mutual respect in that portrait, alongside the details of intimacy that left some passers-by looking somewhat uncomfortable.

And then there was the centrepiece. Something that held Minghao's attention for even longer than the other pieces. Longer than the oil and acrylic paintings; the piece that was made entirely out of painted rice; the charcoal and pencil drawings, and the ones that were made on the computer. The models and sculptures and fragmented representations of people in one form or another.

This was simply a photograph.

The artist had an absolutely stunning man as the muse of that portrait. He had black hair that fell about his face and highlighted his features very well. He didn't have that western beauty that so many people desired - with double eyelids and a pale complexion - but he looked even _better_ than that, as far as Minghao was concerned. In fact, he didn't even know if he would be able to find a person in the world who didn't find that man handsome. His jaw and cheeks were perfect, his face was soft but not chubby, and his lips were the perfect width. His face showed off a passion that Minghao had never really seen before, and it stirred something in him right away. It was pure, untainted arousal. The man's lips were parted slightly; his eyebrows pulled together more than they would be if his expression was neutral, but not quite knitted together. His eyes were filled with desire. They were dark brown in colour but told Minghao so much about his mood. It was clear that he wanted something more than he was getting, and he wasn't afraid to demand that from the viewer by staring directly into the camera with that expression.

His body was perfect too. His navel was perfectly shaped and left Minghao with the urge to kiss it. His muscles weren't too big or too small, and he had the most amazing honey thighs that Minghao had ever seen in his entire life. He had no tan lines, somehow, but his skin was a beautiful shade of brown.

Then there were the ropes.

The man's body was decorated with an intricate knotting pattern, which highlighted the most beautiful features on his body. His navel. His nipples. His neck and face. His perfect thighs. And that, in itself, left Minghao's words catching in his throat. As far as he was concerned, there was nothing as pretty as those slight bulges of flesh sticking out through woven ropes: something that was regarded as particularly beautiful because it was just _natural_ for a person's body to conform in those sorts of ways when it was bound with a tight rope.

The cherry on top was the fact that the man had someone's seed on his torso. It was unclear as to whether it was his own - especially since he was still visibly stiff in the photo - or whether it was someone else's claiming mark, but Minghao didn't really care either way. It was the perfect little detail that left things looking so artistic and perfect that Minghao wanted to find the model and confess his feelings towards that particular piece.

As it was, though, all he had was the artist.

Hardly unattractive himself, the artist had his attention focused on Minghao the whole time. Minghao hadn't really noticed up until that point, but now he could see the man's eyes wandering over his features. His eyes scanned Minghao's face with such detail that it was intimidating, especially when paired with the fact that his expression was neutral the whole time.

And so, Minghao spoke to break the tension. "I couldn't help but notice how beautiful your artwork is. This collection stirs up a lot of feelings for me. Awe, passion, warmth..."  
"If you don't mind, why do you think it makes you feel like that?"  
Minghao was caught off-guard by the question, but he only really needed a few seconds to think it over anyway. It was something that was deep inside of him, so it was just a case of finding it. "I suppose it's because my interest in the arts is subject to the artist's vision. Your vision here doesn't necessarily seem to be sexual. It seems to be highlighting natural male bodies in all of their beauty, whether it's in shy moments where they're scared to be naked in front of someone for the first time, or they've modelled before and they know that their body is beautiful."

For a moment, the artist didn't say a word. He simply stared at Minghao in silence before giving a simple little hum and rising to his feet. "I'm impressed. May I ask what your name is? And how old are you?"  
"Xu Minghao. And I'm nineteen." The artist's eyes widened for a second, but he had composed himself again pretty quickly.  
"Your name is Chinese, right? Would you prefer we speak Mandarin? Cantonese?"

Minghao blinked a few times, having not expected that sort of thing. The man's Korean was good enough to be native, but the way he switched to Mandarin so easily, with perfect tones and clear pronunciation, suggested that he was more likely to be from China too. "Where are you from?" Minghao asked in Mandarin. The artist smiled brightly, in contrast to how he had been up until that point.  
"Shenzhen, Guangdong. And you?"  
"Anshan, Liaoning." The artist thought about it for a moment before giving a little nod. He didn't acknowledge the distance that Minghao had travelled, nor the distance between their hometowns. Instead, he simply repeated Minghao's name.

"Xu Minghao."

That was the first time Minghao felt that pang in his chest. The one that told him that he didn't want his name on any other person's lips again. It sounded beautiful when the artist said it. It sounded exactly like when his mother decided that she was going to bring a multi-cultural aspect into their family home by cooking some western sweets that her American colleague had mentioned. Her optimism when she took the sugar and read the instructions four or five times to make sure that she was absolutely certain about the instructions of caramelising it - something that sounded absolutely bizarre to her when she thought that sugar was sweet enough in itself - and then finally took the plunge. And although neither of them really liked the taste of the sweets, in comparison to the taste of the snacks they were used to eating, the smells that filled the house were delicious.

 _That_ was what the artist's voice sounded like when he said his name. The smell of the vanilla and honey and caramel that filled the house and tempted Minghao out from his bedroom as he sought out the source of the warm, sugary smells.

For a minute, he was simply stood there in silence, trying to get his heart to calm down again, but it proved to be a huge struggle. And the worst part was that the artist seemed to know what was happening as he judged Minghao's expression and a slight smirk brushed over his face. "Nice to meet you. Call me Wen Junhui. Now, Minghao, I have a proposal for you. How would you feel about coming to my studio and modelling for me?"

It was only at that point that Minghao found that he could get a few words out again. Only once Junhui had brought up an even more intense topic. It was something that Minghao had been interested in, sure, but he wasn't so sure that he was the right person for that sort of job. Not in his current state, and certainly not in comparison to the other men in the pictures. "Is your next collection on weedy boys with no muscle?" he asked quietly, trying his hardest not to sound ungrateful for the offer. Thankfully, Junhui's mouth twitched into a smile as he spoke.  
"My models are all very different and their bodies look very different in each picture. See, this one--" He pointed to the charcoal piece that Minghao had been drawn to at the beginning. "The model is the same one that's in this piece." He motioned to a pencil sketch of a man on his knees that Minghao had overlooked until that point.

And sure, the bodies looked incredibly different. In the first one, his body looked slimmer. In the second, he had more curves and a slight pouch around his lower stomach. His thighs were thicker, his face was round, and he had a bit of chub around his armpits too. And yet, he was still absolutely beautiful. "I see," Minghao whispered softly as he thought about it that little bit harder. Perhaps he didn't feel as if he would fit in with the boys, but he guessed that if Junhui was asking him to give it a try, it would be for a reason. Perhaps he would fit in more than he anticipated.

Then, just to be absolutely sure, the artist snatched up his phone and began searching for something before turning it towards Minghao. The screen showed a picture of a man with wet hair and round glasses, wearing grandpa shorts and an oversized jumper as he curled up on a window ledge. He had a mug of green tea in one hand and a book in the other, and he seemed to be completely focused on what he was reading. His face was makeup-free and Minghao could see some acne underneath the surface of his skin.

The man was, undeniably, the one from the rope photo.

"He's beautiful, isn't he? This was after his shower one evening. He likes to read long books and relax in my studio after our photoshoots, but you can see that he looks very different from how he looks in his photos. Still very handsome with natural beauty, but the sex appeal is dropped as soon as the camera has been turned off and the pencil has been put down. He's a baby, and you remind me a lot of him." Minghao gave the slightest of nods to show that he understood and his mind was made up, and then Junhui promptly offered him a card with the studio's location scrawled on the back. "This set's theme will be the portrayal of sexuality, rather than simply the appearance of male bodies. There'll be a lot of touching and finding ways to really get you in the mood, if you're up for the challenge. Don't worry, you don't need to be sexually attracted to men to come along - we have some resources for men who are attracted to women too. Just come along whenever you feel like it and either myself or one of my models will be there."

And that was that. Minghao wished the man a successful day and went about his business, looking at all of the other pieces in the hall, before finally making his way home and dropping down onto the sofa right away.

Despite the fact that he'd seen so many other pieces, he still had Junhui's art on his mind the whole time. He had done what he hated seeing other people do - he'd compared everyone else's work to Junhui's work. He found flaws in their themes, their art style, and the fact that they used just one art style without daring to branch out. And when he finished, he had realised that actually, the artist had all been great and there was no problem with their art at all. He had just felt that the bar was set incredibly high by an artist who had really drawn him in and made him feel amazing inside, and that was something that had turned his views a little bit sour.

Perhaps he thought that he could do better. That Junhui's suggestion for them to work together meant that he was above the other styles of art that were there. Perhaps he was feeling a little bit insecure when he saw everyone else's work, knowing full well that he didn't feel as if he fit in with the other men in Junhui's work. He didn't really know. All he did know was that he was happy to recognise that and be able to change his views on people's art pretty quickly and that he was actually excited to be able to give this art modelling thing a try.

So he ended up going over to the studio one morning, only to be greeted by a man who was particularly tall and almost intimidating in appearance. Contrary to what Junhui had told him, this man was certainly made to be a model. He was absolutely stunning and Minghao couldn't see a single flaw in his appearance. And when he smiled, the world lit up around him. "Are you the guy Jun was telling us about? The one from the exhibition?" he asked right away, and Minghao's eyebrows shot up.  
"I'm not sure, I guess there were probably a lot of guys he recruited as his models at the exhibition. I know I'm one of them, but I don't know whether he mentioned me."

The man laughed immediately. "You know he's picky about models. I know you know that deep down," he said, and then he promptly moved to one side as he invited Minghao into the studio. And so they made their way up a flight of stairs together and the man introduced himself as Mingyu. He was the same age as Minghao, surprisingly, but he'd happened to grow very tall very quickly. He seemed to be oblivious to his own beauty, Minghao noted, and he was almost child-like in attitude when they started talking more. And then they reached the main studio and he saw the man from the photographs sitting in an oversized, mismatched armchair with a book in hand, and he immediately turned into a puppy.

"This is my husband," he announced immediately. "He's perfect, isn't he? I sometimes think that he's with me just so that he has someone to bully, but he swears he isn't like that." The other man immediately looked up, but he didn't seem to be as loved-up as Mingyu.  
"Stop telling people that we're married. We're not even dating. It'd be a push to even say that I'm attracted to you." Minghao watched as the man gave Mingyu a scornful glance, and then he promptly turned towards Minghao to introduce himself. "Call me Wonwoo. It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Minghao."

Minghao half expected that Mingyu would be disheartened by the rejection, but it seemed that he was even more excited after Wonwoo had shut him down. "He says we're not together, but we all know that we sort of _are_ together. You can't just pretend to have this sort of love towards someone else." Minghao wasn't so sure about that. For some reason, it looked like Mingyu was making their relationship seem like something more than it actually was. For some reason, it looked as if Wonwoo was absolutely used to it and was simply bothered by the fact that Mingyu made a point of bringing it up in front of every new person that they met. It was somewhat endearing, admittedly, but it left Minghao wanting to know more about their situation.

But for now, he was going to look past that. "Is Junhui around?" he asked quietly, trying not to seem too impatient to see the artist. Wonwoo immediately looked up from his book and adjusted himself in his seat.  
"Actually, he just went to get everyone some breakfast. We pretty much live here with him by this point, so we might as well eat together. It's like a little family community, if you will. Would you like me to call him and ask that he brings you something back?" Minghao considered it for a minute before giving a nod, and so Wonwoo got straight to it before any more time was wasted.

Before too long, the artist had arrived back at the studio and had let himself in without knocking. He came upstairs with several bags of groceries and breakfast meals in hand, and so he passed the breakfast to the other models to arrange on the table before taking the rest of the groceries through to the kitchen. He was gone for a short while before returning, and only then did he greet Minghao properly. "Sorry, it took me a while to get back. We don't need the milk going bad within two days again, like last time." He gave a smile. "Did the other boys show you around?" Mingyu and Wonwoo froze on the spot before each flashing an apologetic glance in Junhui's direction. "Okay, I'll take that as 'no'. Let's have a look around."

Admittedly, the features were a lot better than Minghao could have possibly imagined. The studio had clearly been converted from a family apartment, which gave them a lot of room to work with. There was a special room for live drawings, with different ways of altering the light and a huge canvas to work with, and another for photographs. The bathroom doubled up as a place for art, and the bedrooms were the only true chaotic aspect of the place. Mingyu and Wonwoo had a shared room in the apartment, since they stayed over quite often, then Junhui had a master bedroom and there was also a spare room with a single bed and sofa for if one of the other two models wanted to stay there for the night. They had university to worry about, though, Junhui told him. It was unlikely that Minghao would really get to see them that often unless he was coming for early morning or late evening shoots. They were lovely, though, so if he had the chance to spend time with them, Junhui absolutely recommended doing so.

After the tour, they made sure to eat breakfast with the other two. It was quite a quiet but homely experience, and that was something that Minghao hadn't really experienced all that much before. He had been used to eating alone since he'd moved to Korea, and so he could really see the appeal of spending time with other people like that. It almost made it feel as if they were a part of a family, which he really liked. And admittedly, this was likely to end up becoming a habit for him, should they decide that modelling worked well for both him and Junhui.

Wonwoo and Mingyu were the ones to clean up as Junhui announced that it was time to have a chat about expectations. They were quick to grab everything and scurry out of the way, leaving Minghao and Junhui at the table together. Junhui pulled out an album right away to show what he expected from the modelling quality, and then he promptly asked whether that was okay. "I don't expect perfection right away, but I think that we'll be able to get you to this point. Now, about your wage, how does three million won a month sound? It's just for a starting wage, and I'd expect maybe four or five pieces a month. Is that okay with you?"

Minghao's heart stopped for a moment. He hadn't really expected anything near that amount, especially since he was new to modelling and certainly didn't feel as if he was good enough to be able to take more than minimum wage for it. But since Junhui was insistent, he knew he had to snatch the offer up right away and run with it before he changed his mind.


	2. Chapter 2

Minghao had to admit, he was more nervous than he would have usually been when starting a new job.

There was an element of anticipation right there. He knew that Junhui wasn't all that bothered about what he looked like naked - especially since he highlighted that the other models had everything from chub rub to stretch marks to chubby parts - and so he certainly wasn't all that nervous about getting naked in front of the artist. He knew that it wasn't quite as sexy as it seemed to take his clothes off in front of another person. Yet, somehow he felt like he had to give the artist something good from the start.

Perhaps it was because he knew that the other models were great at what they did. He dropped into a particular session with Junhui's third model along the way, primarily so that they would be able to meet each other finally. He arrived when Soonyoung was already getting himself into the relevant position for the piece, and another person simply stared from the sidelines as Junhui immediately began to throw paint onto the canvas. He started out with a general shape, working fast to refine it into something that was more directly linked with the shapes of Soonyoung's body, and then he began to apply shading. Blues and yellows that served as undertones to the natural caramel colour of his skin. The red lovebites that covered his neck and shoulders. The copper tones of his dyed hair, mixed with other browns and some oranges and reds, until Junhui had portrayed him in the exact way that he was hoping to make Soonyoung look in the portrait.

Then the details came. The reds of the skin on his chest. His breathing was laboured and his skin was tainted with that sign of arousal and _heat_. The dark colours of his inner thighs and underarms, and the paleness of his face in contrast with the flush that was starting to tickle at his cheeks and nose and ears. The glint in his eyes and the way that his lips were parted slightly, and the barely noticeable trickle of sweat that was dribbling down his hairline. The way that his nipples were a little bit puffy and looked as if someone had squeezed them until they were engorged with blood. And then the more intimate details of his body, which Minghao tried to avoid staring at.

"He's beautiful, isn't he?" the other man had whispered to him as they watched the painting process. "I remember that his mother used to tell him that he would be a clunky sort of model and everything would look awkward and uncomfortable, but I think he pulls it off really well. Though, maybe I'm a bit biased. What do you think?" Minghao didn't really have the words to describe how he felt when he saw Soonyoung there, but he made sure to put in as much effort as possible. Most of it was incoherent. The man didn't seem to mind so much. He seemed to be aware that Minghao liked watching the art session taking place but struggled to put it all into words, and that was good enough for him. It was something that he completely understood, and something that he wasn't going to judge Minghao over when it was clear that he wasn't simply trying to come up with something to keep his new friend happy.

It had set the bar high, though. It was the first piece that Minghao had seen, and he had had the chance to witness what great modelling looked like. He got to see everything from the minute that Soonyoung undressed for the artist, and he watched how the scene was set up perfectly - with the correct lighting and heat - to ensure that Soonyoung's body looked perfect. By the time Junhui had finished laying down the foundations of the piece, Soonyoung's body was ready for the details. He wasn't left there for too long in that position, and he wasn't made to feel uncomfortable by the intensity of the piece. It was all just perfect.

And so that was what Minghao was expecting for his first piece. It was going to be done the charcoal and chalk - something that Junhui was experimenting with, in order to add a pop of colour to otherwise monotonous pieces - and that was going to end up taking a little while to perfect. Minghao knew that it was going to involve him being exposed for a long period of time, and he knew that he was going to have to try his hardest to appear sexually forward, and that was what was terrifying him the most, as much as he could try to claim that it was actually down to the fact that he'd been watching the other models doing their thing first and making it look effortless.

He turned up on the designated day to find that the studio was empty, other than himself and Junhui. "Where are the others?" he asked immediately. Junhui flashed a glance towards him.  
"Do you want an audience that badly?" Minghao's cheeks flushed right away.  
"No, I just thought that since they're always here, they would be here today too."  
"Well," Junhui began as he made his way over to the kitchen table and began to arrange the furniture according to his vision for the piece. "I asked them to find somewhere else today, since I didn't really want you to have to feel too nervous. You see, it's going to be a little bit sexier than you saw Soonyoung doing the other day. We're training his body to get used to the strain of staying in one position for a long time, so I figured that it would be best to go for intensity, rather than sexy. But you..."

He was well aware of the fact that Minghao didn't have that sort of ability either, but that wasn't the focus. He wasn't trying to make any of those pieces anytime soon. Instead, he wanted Minghao to get used to exhibiting his body in ways that he wasn't used to exhibiting it, and that was going to be the focus of the next few pieces. Much like each art collection, each model was a work in progress too, he said. That much was clear when he showed other some of Mingyu and Wonwoo's pieces and highlighted that they were his first two models back when he was in graduate school, and that much was very clear from the ways that they used their bodies for him.

Wonwoo could be suspended from the ceiling by a single piece of rope that wrapped around his knees and wrists, and he would be able to hold his balance perfectly without even the slightest of twitches to make Junhui's shadows look mismatched with where the lighting would hit his skin if his body was in that particular position. Mingyu could balance in a variety of yoga positions for hours - despite his tall and gangly appearance - and that meant that a lot of Junhui's pieces involving him worked amazingly well as anatomical study sheets, too. And sure, there was a chance that Minghao would eventually get there too, but that didn't mean that there was an expectation that he would get there immediately. It was just something to aim for in the future, if that was the sort of thing he wanted to do with his life. As long as he wanted to be a model, there was always a place for him in the studio, and Junhui certainly had more than enough money to ensure that that dream was possible.

And so, they got to work. Minghao offered to help with the setup, and he was surprised to see that the props Junhui used were often regular every-day objects that were simply reimagined for the piece. It was something that he hadn't imagined, especially considering how well those pieces of furniture and other props fit into the piece. For example, they pushed the kitchen table into the corner of the room, removed the chairs from the sides, and then placed a bar stool on top. A huge satin sheet was draped over the table and stool - blue to compliment the tones of Minghao's skin - and then Junhui used a few other tools to measure out the proportions and dimensions that he wanted. He had Minghao undress and climb onto the table right away, and then he began with his checks to make sure that he looked absolutely perfect. A box to measure the distance between Minghao's thighs. A rolling pin to keep the position of his elbows and wrists. A heavy can to remind him of the way that he wanted his weight to be distributed.

It seemed silly, but it made for a beautiful pose in the end. Everything was perfect, as far as they were concerned, and any props that were left behind were invisible to the viewer. It was all a matter of making sure that Minghao looked his absolute best.

Well, sort of.

The artist was almost ready to start, but something seemed to be a little wrong with the piece. Not that the position wasn't perfect, but it was missing some element that Junhui wanted so badly that he couldn't overlook it. His eyes were on Minghao's body the whole time, searching for that 'something'. Minghao could see that. The position had him glancing over his shoulder at Junhui, despite the fact that he had his back to the artist. He could see every little bit of confusion on Junhui's face as he tried to figure out exactly what was causing the problems for him. And so, he promptly gave a little sigh before stepping to the side of the canvas. "My fault," he said in Chinese right away, and Minghao couldn't help but knit his eyebrows together as soon as he heard it. "Can you give me something really sexy?" he asked quietly. Minghao stayed completely still. "Not that I think there's anything wrong with how you are at the moment, but I'd like it if you could adjust yourself slightly so that you feel sexy. I'd prefer it if your legs stayed that distance apart and your arms stayed where they are, but everything else can move."

Minghao didn't know what to do with himself when Junhui gave him that little bit more freedom. He hadn't even officially started, and he was already making things seem awkward and uncomfortable. Perhaps it was a sign that he should quit whilst he was ahead, he figured. So he tried to think of a way to adjust his body to make it look more beautiful. More of a turn of his torso, slightly more weight on that one side of his body, right next to where the can was pressing against the front of his thigh. It was a little move, but Junhui gave an approving hum. For a moment, he simply watched Minghao and the way that he was sitting, but before he'd really had the chance to get started with what he was doing, he made his way over and got so close to Minghao's body that the model could feel the brush of his t-shirt against his bare skin. He shivered.

"Haohao," Junhui whispered. A second shiver ran up his spine when he heard the pet name. "Can I ask you something personal?"  
"Mmm? Go ahead."  
"Have you ever had sex with someone before?"  
"Oh, of course." It wasn't quite a lie. Minghao just didn't really feel that it counted as such if he was just messing around with someone in their bed. Fingers went inside places and Minghao certainly regarded that as a sexual experience, but bodies hadn't joined completely. Or at least, not for more than a second or two. Other than that, he had absolutely destroyed himself with a toy once or twice, but that didn't really count as such. Even so, he was going to count _something_ for the sake of arguments. Junhui seemed to be able to tell that much just by looking at him.  
"How many times?"

This time, there was no real way of avoiding it. He knew that he was going to get caught out if he lied. So he admitted that it was just one time and left it at that. Junhui seemed to look thoughtful for a little while as he considered the new information, and then he proceeded to lean in close to Minghao's ear. "Now, I know that this probably seems pretty unprofessional to you, but it's something that happens with all of the models at some point or another. Sometimes, they sort it with each other. Seokmin gave Soonyoung those bites on his neck before our live drawing session, and... well." Then he stopped for a moment, figuring that perhaps he was going to give too much information. Minghao was suddenly hit with the realisation that Junhui had probably ended up getting a little too close for comfort with either Mingyu or Wonwoo. Or both. If Wonwoo was that insistent that their relationship was non-existent and Mingyu was comfortable enough to joke about it, as Minghao figured was the case when he saw them together, it wouldn't have been too much of a stretch for them to be involved as colleagues but also involved with their artist friend too. After all, they had been with him for a while so it would only make sense.

Minghao felt as if his blood was running cold. He didn't know why it bothered him that much to think about that sort of thing, but he felt a level of judgement for his new friends. Not because they were could have been getting involved with each other _and_ Junhui at the same time, but...

Well, he didn't really know _why_ it bothered him, and that was the biggest problem. So he simply addressed it as it was and hoped that it was where the artist was going with things. "Jun, I don't know whether this is where you're trying to go with this, but I want you to show me exactly what you want from my body. Make me feel everything that you want your biggest critics to feel when they first see this piece." Junhui hesitated for a moment, just as Minghao had done when he was first asked to adjust himself for a more natural, sexy portrait. And so Minghao continued. "I mean, my hands are stuck here, right? If I move my arms, your vision will be ruined. Touch me in whatever way you want me to look like I've been touched." 

So Junhui went for it. He made sure to be as considerate as possible, but it ultimately came down to making his art perfect. He grabbed Minghao's ass with one hand, squeezing it tightly in his palm, and then promptly move away so that he could slap it hard. Minghao hadn't even had the chance to prepare himself for it. The hand had simply come down hard on his skin and hit him in a way that snatched his breath away and left his world silent for a few seconds. He felt his skin ripple slightly with the contact and felt the slight sting when Junhui's hand moved, and then the same slap took to the other side. This time, he was a little more prepared for it, but that didn't really mean that it didn't surprise him still.

Then Junhui's lips were on his neck. It was an awkward way to do it, especially considering that he was having to lean over the edge of the table and maneouver himself around Minghao's body and all, but he just about managed to do it. Minghao changed his position so that he was looking forward as the artist kissed his neck, and he allowed himself to enjoy it for just a moment whilst he waited for some sort of biting to take place. But then Junhui's lips moved to his ears, and he promptly nibbled and licked and sucked his way around the shell of Minghao's ear as he did so. It was loud and it should have been disgusting to feel someone's tongue on his ear, but Minghao immediately felt blood rushing between his thighs as he felt the kisses. And then Junhui moved away and left him needing more. He had Minghao's back arched slightly, his ass positioned in a way that suggested he wanted more, and his hips dropped down towards the table so that it was clear what was between his thighs. He was more exposed than he would have liked, but that was Junhui's vision for the piece. It _was_ about sexuality, after all.

Apparently, though, Junhui wasn't satisfied with the very slight tickle of red on Minghao's ass. He let out a noise of disapproval as he made his way over to the utensil drawer and began to search around - much to Minghao's dismay - until he found the one item that didn't fit with the rest of the items in that drawer. A leather paddle. And then he was back, and the paddle was slapped against Minghao's ass cheeks so hard that his skin was glowing red right away. "Sorry it had to be like that," he mumbled as the toy was tossed to one side. "Your skin would hurt even more if I was to do that with my hand until it was red enough. And this one shows up quicker and lasts longer, so there's less of a need for us to redo it halfway through."

He slowly ran his hand over the damage, taking note of the fact that Minghao's body naturally arched against the hand. Minghao could tell that much from the curious expression alone. And then he seemed to be hit with even more curiosity as his focus went from the whole hand to the thumbs of either hand, which spread Minghao's ass slightly - making him feel strangely relieved that he had shaved that morning, out of fear that any hair would make ruin a nude portrait right away - before two fingers from his right hand slowly ran down from his tailbone down towards the hole.

As soon as it made contact and Minghao let out an aroused sigh in response, Junhui's professionalism returned right away. He moved back completely, as if he'd been struck with electricity, and then promptly made his way towards the canvas again. He was completely silent to start with, suggesting a level of guilt to Minghao in the process, but then eventually spoke when the charcoal pencil was finally in hand. "Your body is perfect in that position. Keep it that way." And so he proceeded to do his job, making Minghao look absolutely perfect along the way. Minghao made sure to hold the position as best as possible, doing what he could to ensure that the artist had everything he could possibly want from the piece. He had that little bit of innocent sexuality that he'd wanted, and he was getting to see that side of Minghao that few had had the opportunity to see up until that point in time.

All in all, it took around thirty to forty minutes for Junhui to complete the piece. At that point, Minghao was able to come over and look at it. And he had to admit, he was impressed by the image that he was seeing.

It was exactly how he imagined it would look when he was thinking about his positions. The way that he genuinely did look like a virgin who didn't know what to do with himself. The way that it didn't look clunky and awkward, but it _was_ very clear that he was incredibly inexperienced. And it was obvious that he'd just been touched by someone. Even if Junhui hadn't used red chalk to highlight the trauma that his ass cheeks had faced, it would have been obvious that he was in the process of giving himself to someone. And that made things feel absolutely amazing. Minghao hadn't really expected that anything would make him look and feel that great, and so suddenly, his confidence was through the roof.

"Wow," he breathed as he stared at the paper. It took a lot of effort not to touch it, especially when he could see the colour on Junhui's fingers from where he had tried to make the piece appear completely seamless. And it _was_ seamless. It looked absolutely stunning. Junhui had talent, and that much was incredibly obvious.

"Now, I'm going to set this in the other room with some sealant so that it won't be destroyed before the exhibition. If you give me two minutes, I'll be back and we can go for lunch together. And about your arousal there--" He paused to glance down between Minghao's thighs for a fraction of a second. His eyes only flickered very slightly but that felt like an hour when it was so obvious where he was looking. "-- You're more than welcome to sort that out beforehand. In fact, I can order something if you want, and then there's no need to feel as if there's any rush. Adult magazines are in the bathroom, and I have a couple of videos saved onto my laptop under 'Downloads'. Do what you need to do."

That was that. He went into the other room with the work and proceeded to do what he could to preserve it as well as he could, and Minghao immediately sat down on the edge of a chair so that he could figure out what he was going to do.

Admittedly, it made a bit more sense that he was being paid above minimum wage now that he thought about it. For starters, the arousal was authentic in all of the models, and that was why Junhui's art did so well at exhibitions and conventions. It always sold well, and a lot of pieces were commissioned too, if the notes on the fridge were anything to go by. Secondly, their relationship was a little closer than Minghao would have probably liked. He didn't really have a problem with a developing thing, of course, but he'd only been there for a few days by that point and he was already being felt up by Junhui. Of course, a part of it was to do with the art, but the direct sexual touching hadn't quite seemed to fit with the rest of it. It had actually seemed more like it was something that _Junhui_ had wanted, rather than his audience. Something that allowed him to explore a little bit more than he would have probably explored otherwise.

But then again, it had left Minghao with some pretty interesting thoughts and that was good enough for him. He wasn't prepared to cease touching himself just because there were potentially some problems with the fact that he'd gotten involved wiht Junhui like he had. In fact, he knew exactly who was going to end up coming to mind as soon as his hand had found its home.

He imagined Junhui groping him again; slapping his ass hard until Minghao could feel the ripple as soon as they made contact, and actually going ahead with what he seemed as if he was considering. He imagined the artist's fingers pushing inside of him as he spread his thighs further, and then he imagined being the one who was on top of Junhui, right there in front of the other models. He wanted to show off his dominance, solely because he was Chinese and Junhui was Chinese and the other models had each other but were still probably involved with Junhui a little bit.

Those thoughts of fighting for his place in the family came down hard on him as he worked through his arousal, and then they drifted away as soon as his hand was painted white. He realised how ridiculous it was to be jealous over those sorts of things - even as part of a fantasy - and so he decided that it was never going to happen again.

That wasn't the way he wanted his modelling experience to be.


	3. Chapter 3

Going out with the other models wasn't something that Minghao really expected to enjoy, but it was something that ultimately ended up making his whole month when it inevitably happened.

Junhui was busy at the time, so it was just the five of them. And admittedly, Minghao had felt nervous to start with because he was going to be going out with people who were not only essentially his colleagues, but also two pairs who were essentially couples. He knew that Seokmin and Soonyoung had been dating for a while by that point, so he was ultimately prepared for anything that went down when they were together, but it was a completely different story for Mingyu and Wonwoo. He didn't really know how to tackle that situation - or whether he would need to say anything at all - since he still wasn't sure what the deal was between the pair. They looked like a couple but then again, Wonwoo was absolutely insistent that there was nothing between them, and it did seem possible that they were simply very good friends.

If he was being honest with himself, though, he wanted to pretend that there was nothing between them too. He wanted that to be the reality of the situation because at least then that way, it didn't feel like he was the fifth wheel to the night out. That sort of thing felt like a deal-breaker, since he didn't really know anyone well enough to be entirely comfortable as it was, so avoiding those thoughts was the only way that he was going to get out of the house.

The good thing, though, was that he could make his way over to the studio to meet the other models first. That meant that he could get an idea of the vibes that existed within the group before they went out. He had the chance to figure out whether he really wanted to be there, and he could throw out a bedtime if he needed to do so. "Ah," he could say, "My parents lock the doors at midnight and I can't open it from the outside if they lock it from the inside. I need to be back by quarter to twelve at the absolute latest." What could they say? He could make excuses for days about how he couldn't stay at the studio that night, and then he would be free to enjoy his evening with a big blanket, takeaway pizza, and a really exaggerated drama.

He made his way to the studio early with that in mind. He knew that Mingyu and Wonwoo were going to be there already, since they essentially lived there and all, so he would be able to better figure out what the deal was between the two of them that way. With a backpack clutched in his fist, he made his way to the studio door and rang the bell, and Mingyu threw the door open within a matter of seconds before running back upstairs.

"Where's the fire?" Minghao called out as he entered the studio and shut the door behind himself.  
"Wonwoo's about to get out of the shower and I want to see his bare ass," Mingyu called back. A wonderful start, if Minghao did say so himself.

He almost considered leaving at that point, figuring that it very much _was_ a couple's night, but he supposed that he owed it to Wonwoo to at least stay for a little while. After all, it seemed as if his senior disliked the romantic rubbish that was thrown around just as much, and he certainly didn't sound as if he was that fond of Mingyu's statement either. As Minghao reached the top of the stairs, he could hear Wonwoo hissing that his friend was a dick as he hit him again and again with something - probably a pillow, Minghao supposed. "You're making people feel uncomfortable already," he told Mingyu, who was muttering a string of apologies in response to the hits.

And then it was over. By the time Minghao made his way into the main room, Wonwoo was pretending that nothing had happened and Mingyu was slumped in a chair, accepting his punishment. Wonwoo paused when he saw Minghao and they made intense eye contact for a few seconds - primarily because his dignity was preserved only with the help of a small towel - and then Wonwoo gave a warm smile. "Good evening, Minghao. Did you have a good day?" Minghao simply gave a nod. Wonwoo's eyes flickered over his clothes for a moment, taking in the sight quicker than Minghao had ever seen a person do so. "Is that what you're wearing tonight? Or would you like to come with me and find something a bit artsier?"

It was a hint. Minghao could tell that much. Mingyu glanced up in protest as he realised exactly what Wonwoo meant, and Minghao suddenly had a sense that perhaps things weren't going to be as bad as he'd initially thought. He had a feeling that perhaps Wonwoo was going to make sure that he wasn't going to feel left out; that the romantic stuff would be left behind and they would actually be able to spend a night enjoying each other's company without a care in the world. And sure, he could tell that Mingyu wasn't happy to be barred from the bedroom whilst Minghao was allowed to enter as he pleased, but that was a sign that things were going to be fun.

So Minghao gave a nod in response. "I think I'd like to see what you have," he announced, and so Wonwoo grabbed for his wrist and dragged him straight over towards the bedroom before shutting it behind them and locking it from the inside. And right away, he let out a long sigh before shaking his head. "I'm sorry about Mingyu. He's being such a pain in the ass today. I don't know what it is, but I hope you know that I won't allow it."

And then his towel dropped and Minghao felt his heart seize. It was the last thing he'd expected when he entered the room with Wonwoo, but that didn't mean that it was entirely unwelcome. After all, his friend certainly had one of the more attractive bodies that he'd seen in his life, and it was something that he was happy to see in person. He just hadn't expected it to be so sudden like that. Nudity wasn't really something that Minghao could handle that well, he decided, and it was something that made his face feel hot as soon as he was exposed to it so directly. Saying that, though, he simply tried his hardest to keep his mouth shut and his eyes up at face-level as Wonwoo began to walk around the room.

It was only after he'd picked up a selection of clothes and placed them on the bed that he realised his error and flashed a glance over his shoulder at Minghao. "I'm sorry, I completely forgot that you're not used to this. I supposed that since the world has seen me naked in photos, it wouldn't be that big of a deal to air-dry as I got my stuff ready." He didn't seem to be that regretful, Minghao noted, but he didn't really mind so much. He was simply surprised by the fact that Wonwoo was so casual about it. Of course, he could see why now that his friend had pointed out his reasoning - after all, the first time he'd seen a photograph of Wonwoo was when he was suspended from the ceiling with no clothes on and someone's semen on his body - but it still felt odd to see someone so carefree about something like that when it was something that he personally couldn't handle very well.

Wonwoo made sure to get dressed quite quickly after that. He claimed that he was getting cold but Minghao could tell that it was an attempt to fix what he saw as a mistake, seeing as he hadn't really anticipated Minghao's reaction to the nudity. The last thing he wanted was to make a new friend feel uncomfortable, and so he did what he could to avoid that situation. And then he began to scour through the wardrobe again for something suitable for Minghao to wear. "Would you like something artsy? Oversized? Colourful? What's your style?" he asked as he began to flick through the clothes. Minghao struggled to come up with an answer to that question. He hadn't really thought about his style before since it wasn't exactly something he considered when he was throwing his clothes on, but he did have an idea of what he liked when he saw it.

Thankfully, though, he didn't really need to think about it much at all. Wonwoo seemed to have an eye for what he liked and what would suit him. That being a basic but quite artsy sort of outfit. Minghao had undressed in front of Wonwoo, figuring that he owed him that much confidence when Wonwoo had been so casual about drying off in front of him like that, and his senior immediately helped him to change. He had slim black trousers that were a tiny bit too big on him but certainly too small for Wonwoo's thighs. He'd added a belt, just to be sure that they didn't end up coming down halfway through the night, and then he cuffed the ankles of the trousers so that Minghao's socks were showing. It was a little touch, but it made it look that little bit more casual, especially when one leg was cuffed higher than the other.

It was paired with a grey t-shirt, which fitted surprisingly well, and an oversized cardigan that covered his hands and decorated the outfit with a patchwork flair. That, paired with the Chanel necklace that Wonwoo let him borrow, made him feel more connected with the group right away. Especially when he walked out into the main room again to find that Soonyoung and Seokmin had arrived and were wearing a similar style of clothes. They all had their unique style points, of course, but it was clear that they all matched and fit in together, and that was something that filled Minghao's chest with excitement as Wonwoo insisted that they leave right away and make their way straight over to the bars to get started with their night.

Of course, the first topic of conversation that came up was Mingyu's modelling piece that morning. He was wearing clothes that covered a lot of skin, and that seemed to draw the attention of everyone in the group right away. In itself, it probably wouldn't be that bad, but Seokmin didn't hesitate to point out that he'd seen a flash of wrist whilst they were waiting for the group to come together and he was absolutely certain that it was rope burn.

Mingyu seemed to be pretty embarrassed by that comment. His eyes dropped to the floor right away as he tried to deny it, but it was clear he knew that they weren't going to drop it. After all, it seemed that they all knew that feeling, and they had almost all been there, apparently. Except for Minghao, of course. "Suspended from the ceiling again, Gyu?" Soonyoung asked as he moved in from the other side. "Seems our wonderful Jun can't keep his hands to himself when he has you by the wrists like that." The rest of the group laughed - including Mingyu, who couldn't help but let a hopeless chuckle out - but Wonwoo was quick to flash a warning glance in Soonyoung's direction at the same time. Seemingly just to make sure that he kept in line still. Minghao had a sudden sense that Wonwoo was like the leader of the group - likely the oldest, aside from Junhui himself - and so he had his ways of making sure that jokes like that didn't go too far. His eyes went back to Mingyu's face to judge whether or not he needed to diffuse the situation already, and Minghao quickly followed his gaze to see that Mingyu's hands were covering his face.

"He just gets so weird when I'm up there. Like, he knows what I look like when I'm naked and on the rope but it's as if he's seeing it for the first time every time. I haven't even had a _lover_ who gets like that, you know." Minghao noticed how Soonyoung and Seokmin immediately glanced up at Wonwoo to see how he was reacting to that comment. This glance had a different vibe to the others, but Minghao couldn't really figure out how to word those feelings that he was getting from that glance. Wonwoo's expression stayed neutral too, which made it that little bit harder.  
"We all get it, though," Mingyu finally continued, obviously directing that bit towards Minghao. "Obviously, you can tell him if you don't want to get too involved with him, but he likes making sure that you have exactly the expression and passion and sexuality that he wants in his pictures. And if that means he screws you mercilessly against the bed until you're raw, so be it."

That wasn't quite what the others were expecting, apparently. It was as if Mingyu had just insulted their ancestors, all at once. The shouting was nearly enough to drown out the sounds of Mingyu finishing his sentence, but Minghao certainly heard what his friend had to say. And he didn't know what to make of it, even though the other boys tried their hardest to downplay it as much as possible with outbursts about how it was completely their choice and if they didn't want to get physical with Junhui, they absolutely wouldn't. It wasn't as creepy as it sounded, but they _were_ all very clear about the fact that Junhui had an apparent shibari fetish, and to accept the shibari photo sessions was to accept that you'd inevitably end up in bed with the artist. Again, it would stop if someone wasn't comfortable with it, but they all knew that Junhui planned those sorts of pieces very carefully with the intent of holding himself back too, so it was simply their way of thanking him for his efforts, work, wage and support.

Somehow, it still sounded weird to Minghao. He didn't know how they could possibly sleep with their boss like that. Not when they had the choice to back out and not have to risk losing their jobs. If it was like they said and Junhui fully respected them enough to back off if they weren't in the mood, Minghao was curious to see what actually got them in the mood to let their professional relationship drop for a while. Perhaps it was money or something, he figured. That was the only thing that would get him to accept if Junhui was to ask to sleep together, he decided, even though he thought the artist was incredibly attractive and his name sounded like liquid gold on Junhui's tone and his lips and eyebrows had that perfect way of showing every hint of emotion that was running through his body at any one time. A slap on the ass and neck kissing was one thing, but bedding the artist was a completely different story.

Minghao expected to hear more about it when they got into the bar and sat down in a booth, but he was surprised to find out that it wasn't like that at all. Instead, the topic of conversation moved onto other things. They used it as an excuse to get to know each other with some of the weirdest facts that they could come up with, figuring that it was the best way to make people feel comfortable with each other. If they could take care of those secrets, it meant that their friendship would end up being eternal. At least, that was the idea behind it.

So Minghao got to hear some of the most interesting facts he'd ever heard in his life. Seokmin had survived being hit by six cars over his lifetime, and he had absolutely no idea of how he managed to get hit so often. He'd also faced a near-abduction when he went to Europe on an art trip back in high school, he'd been scouted by a modelling agency, and his parents used to foster animals who were being rehabilitated, so he ended up with some pets with weird names so that they didn't get too attached and want to keep them - including Uglyman, Garbage, Burger Glove, Incheon 456 and Tiles.

Soonyoung, on the other hand, introduced himself with a game of 'Guess the Lie'. He gave five options: he had naked photos in a published journal, his favourite toy as a child was a toy snake that he found in his much older sister's room and it turned out it was a sex toy, his comfort item as a baby was a scrap of upholstery fabric, he pretended to marry ever member of SHINee in front of his SHINee shrine at thirteen years old, and his punishment used to be sitting in the garden in his underwear for twenty minutes when he misbehaved.

Minghao guessed the upholstery one. As it turned out, they were all true.

Wonwoo told how he ate his brother's homework out of spite one day, and Mingyu explained how he spent the first ten years of his life saying "toilet paper" incorrectly because his mother thought that his pronunciation was cute. And as they drank more, and as more facts began to pour out, Minghao found his confidence rising enough to give some of the most bizarre stories of his childhood. The way that he'd learnt more than he ever wanted to know about pet play through accidentally stumbling onto a few things when he was growing up in an uncomfortably big family. The way that he'd thrown away a chance at getting with his high school crush because he'd remembered he had some watermelon at home and he wanted to get back to it as soon as possible before someone else ate it, and how he'd had an accident in the house when he was little and proceeded to blame it on the dog instead of admitting that he was unwell.

It was all weirdly personal, but it helped them to bond right away. It taught them a lot about their lives and the way that embarrassment was sometimes a choice, and that they were all similar in some pretty odd ways. And Minghao liked that a lot. It helped him to relax and it meant that he started to feel like a part of the family, which was a great feeling when he really thought about it. It meant that there was a connection starting to grow, and that was a really nice thing when he had felt like an outsider up until that point.

But then Soonyoung and Seokmin had to leave, claiming that they had some tutorials at university the following morning, and suddenly Minghao felt a strange sense of isolation again. He didn't know why, seeing as he didn't really know either of them as well as he knew Mingyu and Wonwoo, but it was almost overwhelming in nature.

Perhaps it was a sense that he'd been starting to get to know them and suddenly it had ground to a halt after just two hours. That was all he could really think of when he thought it over. And seemingly, Wonwoo noticed that change in his feelings too, as he promptly reached over to stroke the back of his hand. "Is everything okay?" he asked. It was in that special voice that let Minghao know that he was genuinely concerned. He nodded in response.  
"Just feeling a bit weird."  
"How about we go back to the studio together, get some beers and watch a movie? Would you prefer that?" Minghao didn't really know how to answer. He didn't want to ruin everyone else's night by going home early, but he did quite like that idea.

"I think _I'd_ like that, honestly," Mingyu added as if to give him that final nudge to go ahead with the decision. "We can get pizza or something. Fall asleep on the sofa maybe. I think I'd like that." So Minghao ended up accepting that offer, and they promptly left the bar in pursuit of something calmer and more relaxed.

It took around half the time to get back to the studio now that there were just three of them. Wonwoo was the most sober-looking, so he made sure to drop into a store on the way there to get some snacks and alcohol, and then they continued on their way. The pizzas were ordered as soon as they got there, and then they settled down on the sofa as Mingyu searched through the TV options for something good to watch. It took a few minutes, but his choice was certainly worth that wait. A musical from their childhoods - something that Minghao could share with them, despite having grown up in a completely different country - with Chinese subs put on for Minghao's benefit.

And so they proceeded to watch and drink and eat until Mingyu eventually ended up falling asleep with his head on the arm of the sofa and Wonwoo promptly gave Minghao's arm a squeeze to point it out to him. They shared a smile for a moment, then Wonwoo made sure to tuck Mingyu's blanket a bit tighter around his body.

"Can I ask you something?" he whispered softly, making sure to keep his voice low as he did so. Minghao almost thought that he was speaking to someone else for a moment until he realised that he was the only other one in the room. His friend seemingly noticed that and smiled slightly without addressing it. "What do you think of Junhui?" Caught off-guard. He didn't even know how to answer that sort of question. So he sat there for a moment, trying to think. Wonwoo reached over to stroke his hair. "Do you think he's handsome?"

Minghao couldn't deny that. To do so would be to lie about something that was pretty damn important, as far as he was concerned. So he gave a nod. He _did_ find Junhui handsome. He thought his hands were a pretty shape and his eyes were beautiful and his nose was nice, even though it was a bit big and somewhat crooked. He thought that his skin was pretty and that his smile was nice, and he liked the fact that Junhui kept his hair long and pulled it back when he was making art, but usually, it wouldn't all be in a ponytail and some of it would rest against his jawline and shoulders. He thought that Junhui's personality was attractive, even though he seemed a bit odd at times, and he truly wanted to get to know the artist a lot better.

He explained that and Wonwoo nodded in response. "And would you sleep with him?"  
"No." It was definite and assured. As he'd told himself earlier too, there was a line when it came to professional relationships and he couldn't bring himself to cross that line - not even when he knew he was incredibly attracted to Junhui. Wonwoo let out a hum of consideration as he thought it through for a minute, and then he let out a long breath. For a few seconds, there was silence between them. Then he finally spoke again.  
"Make this explicitly clear when you're together, okay? He's a great guy but he has a habit of misreading body language. It doesn't make him a bad person in any way, but I wouldn't want you to think he's creepy and forceful because he's not getting hints that you aren't interested. Tell him outright and he'll back off right away."

And that was that. It was all he would say on the topic. Minghao watched as Wonwoo settled down and closed his eyes to sleep, and so he did the same, in hopes that it would give him some peace without having to play the conversations from that night over and over in his head to make sense of it before his body could rest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back, sort of!!
> 
> I'll try to update where I can but oh BOY it's a tough one right about now. I have a list of 70 things on my to-do list this week and funnily enough, this is our downtime
> 
> Saying that, though, I think things will be easier after my appraisal so I'll do what I can to keep posting!! And I hope you've noticed that the shibari has already come up as a topic so there's that to look forward to as well (plus *****MINI SPOILER***** graphic descriptions of Jun's home district because my friend lives there (fun fact: they went to the same school) so I'm casually going there for dinner this weekend)
> 
> Love as always, Camel


	4. Chapter 4

The room was completely silent when Mingyu threw his phone across the room and onto a pillow. His aim was impressive, Minghao had to admit, but it was something that had certainly caught him by surprise and left him on alert. And apparently, it had left the other boys in the same position, as they all looked up at Mingyu in unison. "Have you guys checked the group chat?" he asked right away. His tone showed a hint of irritation, but it was subtle enough that Minghao probably would have missed it if he'd not seen Mingyu's face.

Of course they hadn't. If they had done that, perhaps they would have had the same sort of reaction, Minghao mused. Seokmin announced that he would be the one to check for everyone, and so he immediately unlocked his phone and navigated through it until he found their group chat. And his reaction showed similar irritation. He pressed his face into his hand and sighed before whispering a curse under his breath, then he proceeded to read it out to the group. "Hey all," he said, "I need to secure the exhibition centre for the next sales event, so I'm going to need to have the Artist's Day early, if that's okay. I know that you all hate it and I hate it too, but it's the only way we're going to end up getting commission this month. It's all about the new and upcoming artists right now - since it's the start of the university term and all - using traditional art methods from their own imagination, so I need to really step up the game and show that we're still doing well. 

"We need something contemporary but with some traditional edges to them, so I'm thinking that my method this time will be to take a thousand photos of each of you, narrow it down, and then stylise them appropriately. And we'll do one live art session, if that's okay, because I still need to be able to get that sort of realism in there. It's harder than you think to work from a photograph, you know. Tell me what timeslots you want next week and I'll arrange it all for you. With plenty of snacks, a fancy hotel, and a huge commission on the way." 

Soonyoung didn't look all that pleased either, although Wonwoo seemed to be more unimpressed by the reactions than the actual message itself. "Is this the sort of impression you want to give to Hao about Artist's Day?" he asked firmly, earning a few rolled eyes in the process.   
"Come on, Woo, it's garbage," Mingyu pointed out with a childish pout. "Jun hates it, we hate it, and what do any of us get out of it? The promise of commission when our portraits are sold at the exhibition? It sets a bad tone for itself."   
"We _do_ get the commission, Mingyu," he pointed out with a scowl. "You spend yours before you actually get it, which is why it doesn't seem like a lot." So, just to prove the point, Mingyu asked everyone how much commission they received from the last one, and he immediately ate his words when they pointed out that actually, they received a lot, but it was still something that they hated preparing for by having a full day of work. 

It just seemed pointless to do something that the artist hated as well, they said, because surely that was a sign that it wasn't a good idea. That comment, however, led to an argument between Mingyu and Wonwoo, in which Wonwoo pointed out that the whole point was so that they didn't need to come in at weird hours whilst Jun tried to prepare for the exhibition because he was incredibly indecisive about his theme up until around two or three months before an exhibition. Additionally, anyone who had visited the studio to secure a commission would have seen his pre-made art, so there was no point in showing that off. Mingyu argued that it was a lot on the artist to come up with a whole set in one week and then start working day and night, like a one-person sweatshop, to get all of it completed on time when he could spread it out and actually be able to sleep at night without the looming anxiety of his workload above his head.

"It's not as bad as we're making it sound, Hao," Soonyoung finally cut in as he turned to his phone and immediately started searching for the group chat to give his reply. "It's just that it's a long day, Jun gets pretty stressy about making us look good, and it's draining for both of us. Think of a whole day of being naked whilst Jun takes raunchy photos of you and turns them into art. The art turns out to be beautiful and all, but it's mentally and physically exhausting. It's a test of your will and your ability to hold poses. And even though he brings snacks, you feel like you can't eat them until the end of the day so that you don't look bloated in your pictures. Like, the shading on your body looks different if you're full of pizza, you know?" 

Minghao understood, of course, but that didn't mean he was feeling happy about it all. They'd already set the tone with it all, and so he didn't really know what to expect. As far as he was concerned, he didn't really have anything to be worried about or dislike, but that was because he wasn't all that bothered by the fact that he was supposed to be sitting in a room with Junhui all day. But when they said that they all hated it and the artist hated it too... Well, that was putting him off, just as Wonwoo had said, and it wasn't exactly making things feel as if they were going to work out how he imagined, honestly. But he wasn't planning on telling them that. Not after Wonwoo argued with them over making it seem worse than it was. He knew that there would be arguments if he was to tell Wonwoo that he was reconsidering because of the things the other models had said, and that was the last thing he really needed at that point in time. So he signed up for the Thursday slot and Junhui sent him the address for a hotel shortly afterwards. 

It was an expensive-looking hotel right from the first glance, but then Minghao only had to go and make it worse for himself by having a look at the hotel's website and finding out that it was probably the most expensive one in the city. It cost almost four-hundred thousand won a night, and that was something that Minghao couldn't have possibly anticipated. And sure, Junhui was taking all of the models to different hotels across the city, but if they were all going to be around the same price, it was going to end up being incredibly expensive for Junhui. It would be around two million won for all of the models to have their turn, and that wasn't including all of the extra perks that Junhui had promised. He guessed that he could hardly complain, given that that was the case, and so he made his way over to the hotel on the stated day so that they could get started with their modelling. 

And whilst he thought he was probably too early when he arrived at the hotel, it turned out that Junhui had been granted early check-in and so they were able to go to the room in the morning, rather than the afternoon. And so they made their way up there - with Junhui lugging all of his equipment and insisting that it wasn't Minghao's place to help him, seeing as he was the guest - before settling down in what appeared to be an incredibly exclusive, high-class suite on one of the upper floors of the building. And Minghao was suddenly hit with a sense of inferiority. "Are you sure this is a good idea?" he asked quietly, "It's very expensive here, and I'm concerned that it's too much, considering that you're doing this in order to get money."   
Junhui smirked slightly and shook his head. "It's just to get into the exhibition, actually. I have no problems with selling my art. Do you think I just have money coming in from nowhere or something?" 

There was a long pause. Junhui seemed hesitant to break that silence but when he did, he did so with a laugh. "You're cute. Do you know how much one of Mingyu's shibari portraits sell for? No? Usually, around three or four million won per piece. And that's if it's something I wanted to paint, not a commission that someone asked for. Wonwoo's pieces are selling for around the same, maybe a bit more. Soonyoung and Seokmin are variable since they're targeted by a very niche audience, but when they sell, they sell well. My models are something to be admired and we've been building our studio up for years." Part of Minghao's mind wanted to know how much he brought in, but he had more sense than to ask about that. He knew that it was nowhere near as much as the others were earning, especially since he was a faceless model at that point, but he didn't really care too much about that. He was actually more surprised by how much Junhui was able to sell as an artist. He wasn't struggling at all, he could afford to pay good wages and have a studio, and now they were in a fancy hotel. 

Perhaps it was something that Minghao could drop, he supposed. And so, Junhui continued.

He told Minghao that there were four distinct themes he wanted to use in their art together. Those themes were based around the old elements - first water, then earth, fire and air - with some great ideas of how he wanted to make sure that every inch of Minghao's body looked perfect. And whilst Minghao certainly trusted him to make the art look beautiful, he still felt nervous about it. It meant that they would end up spending a good few hours on each one, even though Minghao was certain that it shouldn't take that long for just four themes. Perhaps he really would spend most of the day naked.

He failed to address that, though. He figured that it wasn't really his place to do so, especially whilst Junhui was searching through his bags for all of the necessary materials. The first theme was incredibly easy in that sense. He put a tub of coconut oil to one side, along with a microfiber towel and some clips. He seemingly toyed with the idea of bringing more things too, but then dropped the idea as he arranged the towel on one of the chairs then took the oil through to the bathroom. "Do you mind getting naked?" he asked with confidence, and so Minghao promptly dropped his clothes before making his way to where the artist was standing. Then, without further explanation or context, Junhui thrust the tub into his hand. "Cover yourself in this. Thickish layer, but don't make it so that I can see it's coconut oil. Basically rub it in but not sparingly, okay?"

So Minghao did what he was told, only missing his back in the process, but Junhui was quick to go in and help him with that. Then, once he was prepared, he was placed into the shower and soaked all over, until his hair was sticking to his forehead and the water droplets that rested on his skin gave away the game. 

The coconut oil was supposed to keep that fresh-out-of-the-shower look, and Minghao had to admit that he loved how it looked. When he sat on the towel and positioned himself comfortably, he knew his skin looked beautiful. Especially as the curtains were arranged to leave a trickle of light tickling his skin and lighting up the darker undertones of his flesh. Minghao knew that the photos would come out beautifully, and he was impressed by the range of angles that Junhui chose for each pose before asking him to move. Then, after three or four poses, Junhui made his way back over to his bag - having seemingly given in to the desire to use more materials - and then returned with a makeup bag. And he knew exactly what he wanted. Waterproof mascara for the shots where his eyes were closed. Waterproof lipstick, which was smeared more than it was applied. Wet-look highlighter, which added some more dimension to his cheeks. Then the photos resumed, with some close-ups and some with distance. He was repositioned around four or five more times, and then it was over and Junhui suggested that he went to the bathroom and used the exfoliation sponge to rub off the oil as well as he could manage.

Minghao was honestly surprised by how quickly he'd managed to get through the first one. He checked the time on his phone and had found that the whole first set had taken no more than an hour and a half - including the initial showers and the application of the makeup - and so he spent his time in the shower musing over it. How was it possible that it could take that little time? And if there were only four different sets that he was expected to complete, he figured that it would take a lot less time than the others had anticipated.

Saying that, though, he realised his naivety as soon as he walked back into the room.

On the floor was a huge length of fabric and a selection of paints with different-sized brushes. "I'm sorry, I should've done this one first. The oil on your skin might affect how the paint stays. I didn't think it through properly beforehand. I just thought that it was going to be quicker to do the water part. So what I'd suggest is to lie on your front and I'll paint your back first whilst your front side continues to break down the oil, then we'll turn over after a load of photos."

So, that was probably where the time came into it. Not only was he getting painted, but the artist had gotten ahead of himself and made some pretty novice mistakes. So Minghao laid on his front and tried to relax as he anticipated the tickle of the paintbrush on his back.

It was surprisingly therapeutic. Junhui was very particular with his brushstrokes and rarely went over the same patch of skin until it became itchy. Minghao almost fell asleep in the process, and the only thing that snapped him out of that trance was when he felt the cold sensation of terracotta against his side. At that point, he jolted slightly, only to face comfort from Junhui right away. "I'm sorry, I didn't realise it would be so cold against your side. I should've warned you about that. I'm putting flowers around you so that the flowers I painted on your back have a sort of frame." And so Minghao gave a nod but let the artist continue with what he was doing. He simply remained still, with his eyes closed, until the artist gave him the word to say that he was finished with the pictures.

At that point, they moved on to the next part of that theme. The paint was extended around his front, but not by far. Instead, Junhui decided to use a weird sort of paste to glue fake flowers to his front in a way that made his chest the central point, like a nest that was exploding outwards. They went over his shoulder and down the centre of his back and then trickled towards his legs, with tiny blossoms on his thighs.

Minghao had expected that it would look like overkill, but then he saw it in the mirror and his heart skipped a beat. It was careful and well-prepared, and he felt undeniably beautiful when he saw the arrangement. It meant that the poses he could create with this look were particularly sensual. He looked and felt erotic so it was an easy task. And Junhui gave him as much creative license as he could. It was all up to Minghao to create dynamic poses amongst the flowers, and so he did just that, up until the point where Junhui let out a satisfied hum and informed him that he had all he needed for that theme.

This time, as Junhui helped him to wash off the paint, Minghao realised why they had to dedicate a whole day to that sort of thing. He was also suddenly aware of why it could be so emotionally draining to have to do that all day. For him, the second one had been easier and he'd managed to really show himself off because he felt sexy. In the first, not so much. He'd needed a lot of guidance, and that had been a lot for both him and Junhui.

Between the second and third themes, Junhui insisted that they had a break and ordered food to arrive at the hotel room. Admittedly, Minghao did feel a rush of anxiety when he remembered what the other models had said, but Junhui had seemingly taken note of the fact that none of the models would eat food that made them feel bloated before the end of the session, and so he'd ordered a lot of fruit for them. It did bring relief, frankly. Minghao didn't even feel guilty about eating fruit, and he found that he was able to unwind a lot easier that way, leading to him and Junhui having quite a nice conversation about things other than work. Hobbies, studies, interests, and the sorts. It meant that they both managed to recover partially from the exhaustion that they'd had been developing over the course of the day.

It also meant that the next part - a particularly erotic set including body candles and some photos where Junhui's hands were on Minghao's body - was a lot easier on both of them. That was, other than the fact that being felt up stirred Minghao up slightly, especially when Junhui's fingertips grazed his throat and firmly gripped his waist. The swirls of different colour wax strangely made it even harder to keep focused, even though Minghao was certain that he wasn't that interested in waxplay and he was still very firm on his position with Junhui.

Then, finally, they reached the final set. Once Minghao was clean again, Junhui simply sat with him on the edge of the bed to discuss the next step.  
"Only 'air' left now. Are you ready or do you need another short break? I'm concerned that the last one was a lot for you."  
"Mm, that depends," Minghao told him. "How are we going to do this one, though? I'm guessing probably the air conditioner, or something? If it's cold, I'll need a short break, but otherwise, I'll be fine." Junhui's lips twitched into a smile, and his eyes crinkled ever so slightly as he listened to Minghao's idea.  
"You don't like the cold? Don't worry - we can make it warmer in here if you want. I was actually thinking that we could try out some rope play, since you look light enough to be able to do it without damaging the bed at all."

Well, that was different. Minghao felt his chest clench. On one hand, he was relieved that he wasn't going to get cold, but on the other hand...

It was undeniable that he had an interest in rope play. It was what had drawn him towards Junhui's work in the first place. It was the piece that left his heart racing as if he was being shown photos to prepare him for an intimate affair with the model. That had been the image where Mingyu was covered in semen; where he had looked as if he was in the mood to be rawed ruthlessly and unapologetically. And that was where Minghao was going to be.

His legs felt like they were made of lead as he stood up to allow Junhui to test his weight, and then he promptly sat back down as Junhui gave a hum of approval. "If you're comfortable and you feel that your core can handle it, I want to suspend you from the bedposts. You'll be around a foot off the bed. Is that okay?" Of course, it was perfectly welcome, but Minghao didn't reply. Instead, he laid on the bed with his wrists crossed above his head and waited for the artist to join him. And so, Junhui sought out a soft rope and made his way over to the bed. He threaded it around the headboard and measured it out carefully to ensure that he had enough to double up before beginning with the process.

Minghao immediately noted how Junhui's technique was practised and precise, right from the start. He had expected that Junhui knew exactly what he wanted it to look like from the start, but it soon became apparent that Junhui was doing what felt right for his model's body as he went. His eyes and fingers glossed over Minghao's skin, on a mission with a rough guide on how to progress. Then, when he felt a connection to a certain area, he would bring the rope closer to the skin and work his magic. In fact, there were only a few rules that he seemed to follow throughout. The first was that the two ropes always stayed together, even when Minghao didn't expect them to do so. The second was that he began on the outside and then worked inwards, towards specific details and defining features. The final rule was that, despite being clearly drawn towards Minghao's knees and elbows, he wouldn't put knots within three inches of joints.

It led to an intricate and complex knotting system that travelled down Minghao's arms and body. It was perfectly mirrored and didn't allow space for him to bend or straighten his arms, due to the number of anchor points he'd created to support Minghao's core. It looked as if a huge spider had come to create a webbing pattern from his wrists down to his chest. He had eight large knots between the smallest point of his neck to the bottom of his ribs and whilst they seemed clustered, it provided even more support for Minghao's upper body so that he could hold himself up with no issue.

The issue that _did_ arise, on the other hand, became obvious when Junhui made his way down to Minghao's lower half. Apparently, he'd not noticed that all of the heat from the preparation had gone down south, leaving Minghao completely vulnerable. It was particularly embarrassing because it had never reached that point before - not even when Junhui had spanked him or felt him up or left him with lovebites for the sake of art. And yet, there he was. Minghao didn't even need Junhui to confirm that he was so aroused that the underside was blush against his skin. He simply shut his eyes and whispered for Junhui to keep going, but Junhui's curiosity seemingly got the better of him.

All he could feel were fingertips on the sensitive skin, and it took every ounce of strength to avoid unravelling completely. "I've never seen someone get this aroused before, Minghao," Junhui breathed in Chinese. Heat prickled on Minghao's skin and left him feeling as if he'd been thrown directly into a volcano. The way the artist said his name so erotically left a weird taste in Minghao's mouth. It was an unusual experience, to say the least. It felt as if his body was giving up completely, having been captured in the web that was Junhui. 

"I want to kiss it," Junhui continued. Minghao's eyes snapped open right away.  
"You _what_?"  
"You heard what I said." It felt unnatural coming from Junhui as he tried to busy himself with tying knots around Minghao's pelvis and upper thighs again to avoid the embarrassment of what he said. "I'm not going to repeat it because I'm afraid it sounds unprofessional and I hired you, and your contract doesn't state it as an expectation."

It was like a kick to the chest. Like a weight was placed onto his suspended body, with the aim of crushing him to death. Minghao was suddenly reminded of the fact that he'd said he wouldn't get involved with Junhui, even though he found him absolutely beautiful, and now he was faced with a situation in which he wanted him more than he could put into words. Yet, Junhui was the one putting a stop to it at that point. He seemed concerned about the professionality of the situation, which was completely understandable. But Minghao needed someone to touch him right away, and that much was enough to lead him to look past his own decision. "I don't care. I'd like it if you did it."

Apparently, that was all Junhui needed to get started. It wasn't so much as a kiss as it was a lick. The kiss has turned into oral sex before it had even started and Minghao felt every last groan erupting from his chest as Junhui's mouth worked him in ways that he'd never thought possible. He was skilled, to say the least, and his tongue felt like velvet against the skin. He toyed with different techniques to find out what made Minghao tick the quickest, and then finally moved down past the length to lick skin that was sensitive enough to bring him to his climax right away, alongside a string of soft curses about how it wasn't fair for Junhui to do that to him so quickly.

And so, Junhui continued creating knots as if it hadn't happened. He stayed silent until it was complete, and so did Minghao. There was nothing to really say until they were finished and it was time for Junhui to begin taking photos. More than anything, it felt a bit awkward that Minghao had given in to desire that he wasn't really supposed to have for the guy who was paying his bills, and so he didn't know what he could possibly say to him. At least, until Junhui informed him that he was a bit worked up too and usually, he would ask if his model wanted something more from the exchange when it got to that point. "I don't want to overstep my boundaries, but I guess it would fulfil one of your fantasies, right? Of course, it's up to you completely, but I wasn't going to mention it until... you know."

Minghao couldn't deny that it was tempting. So much so that he going against his own word without as much as a question. He was sure that Wonwoo would understand considering _his_ insistence that he wasn't interested in Mingyu, despite their very obvious sexual tension and married couple-like arguments. It was just something that he would have to discuss with him later, in hopes of getting support for being weak to his own desires. "I want you to do it. For the art, obviously," Minghao announced, earning a nod from the artist, who simply made his way back between Minghao's thighs so that he could get started.

He kept the camera at his side so that he could take photos along the way, and Minghao frankly didn't know whether that made it feel more or less erotic until Junhui raised the device to take the first photo of his naked body. Arousal rushed right back between Minghao's thighs as he saw his image being captured from a number of angles, with a variety of different areas of focus. Then Junhui took off his shirt and Minghao couldn't help but stare down at him. His ribs were particularly prominent, but he had a rather attractive figure nonetheless. His nipples stood out clearly on his chest, and his navel was admittedly pretty perfect in shape and size, Minghao decided. But that was where Junhui stopped undressing as he simply searched his pocket for lubricant instead and got straight on with slipping a fingertip into Minghao's body.

Minghao felt his eyes rolling back as soon as the finger entered him. The artist clearly knew exactly what he was doing, and he was incredibly firm against Minghao's front wall as he searched for the spot that would prove his expertise in the area. Something that was easier said than done for most people, despite how shallow the spot was. And yet, he'd managed it impressively fast as he began rubbing with speed and depth until Minghao mewled - almost uncharacteristically, might he say, as he barely even recognised his own voice - that he wanted more. Then, without hesitation, Junhui unbuttoned his trousers and eased both layers down to his knees before pulling them off either leg in turn.

"I didn't think to bring protection, but I can show you my most recent sexual health report and assure you that I'm clean, if you want," Junhui informed him. Despite the serious nature of the suggestion, Minghao found it even more arousing and so he shook his head.  
"It's fine, just go for it."

So he lubed up and did exactly what was asked of him. Minghao felt a strange sense of relief as soon as it started, as if all of the tension he'd been feeling had suddenly found a release. That much wasn't related so directly to Junhui, he decided, but was certainly helped by his actions. It didn't have to be Junhui to bed him like that, but he was relieved that it _was_ him. Especially when he felt the artists' worn hands on his skin, between the intricate knots and webs, and then his lips on his neck and ear. And then they kissed full-on. It left Minghao's head dizzy, as did every other first kiss that he'd experienced in his life. It was still very novel, which he rather liked, but it was a shame to realise that that novelty would end up dying if they _did_ end up kissing regularly in the future. Not that they would, but hypothetically speaking, it would happen.

Photos were soon forgotten completely as Junhui focused on pleasure instead. He began to stroke Minghao in time with the thrusts against his body, making sure to squeeze tighter towards the tip each time so that Minghao couldn't help but groan softly in response. His speed increased, his breaths grew more and more laboured, and then he eventually pulled out and finished on Minghao's chest. That alone was enough to push Minghao over the edge, and so he inevitably ended up adding to the mess on his torso, which was finally captured in the countless photos that Junhui took of his exhausted, naked body. It stayed that way until he was finally released from the restraints and taken for a shower, and dinner was already at their room by the time they had dried off and changed into the pyjamas that were left for them in the closet.

Perhaps he didn't feel so bad about Artists' Day, now that he'd had his first one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a long time, huh? I'm really sorry about that, but I've had some time to mature and sort my life out, so hopefully this is a proper comeback?
> 
> Basically, to put a super long story a bit shorter, I figured that I'd have more time after our summer program finished in late August, only to have to take on a class as an emergency cover on my day off - and I'm still covering that class every week now, which means that I'm working 6 days a week. Which wouldn't be too bad, but then we're about to start our winter program (and so we've had a month of extra training sessions on that), we've had two whole school parties to organise, my parents and sister came to visit for a week AND I've also had university to deal with!
> 
> So life has been a bit overwhelming and my day off each week has been spent keeping up with adult things, like cleaning and interviews and finances, hence no updates. But the good news is that stuff is finally starting to settle and I'm visiting home for two weeks next month, so I'm really hoping to get more garbage out here for you guys by that point!!
> 
> Thank you so so much for your patience and for sticking with my slow ass <3


	5. Chapter 5

Minghao's main philosophy was that it was only appropriate to make big relationship decisions after he'd masturbated.

It was a life hack, in a sense. It stopped him from letting his arousal take over. If he could whack one out and then make a decision with a clear mind an hour later, he absolutely did. But it wasn't always possible, and that was where he ended up getting stuck.

For instance, after they had spent time together in the hotel, Junhui had been very insistent on sending him messages via WeChat. It meant that he wouldn't really risk sending the messages to the wrong person, since he only spoke to a few people on there on a regular basis, and so they were safer. The messages themselves were what Minghao would have once considered to be crossing the line, but it didn't seem to matter so much when they were together like that. Of course, they had only slept together once, but that didn't really stop it all from coming out. And there was no way that Minghao could simply masturbate before replying to every message that Junhui sent, especially when the messages were often more sultry in nature than he had originally expected from Junhui. 

"I miss feeling your body mixing with mine," he sent out of the blue one afternoon. "I miss seeing you tied up. Can I see that again some time?" he asked. Minghao felt his body light up on fire as he read it.  
"You'd be lucky if you got to see me without clothes again. You're my boss, after all." It was a joke, frankly. Minghao knew that if Junhui came to him and asked to sleep together again, he wouldn't be able to escape for five minutes to calm himself down and he'd almost certainly end up in bed with him. Even though it was something he swore he wouldn't do in the first place and swore even harder that he wasn't going to do again, he knew full well that Junhui had the power to leave him unable to reject the advances. Damn him.

"It's okay to not have sex. I just want a spiritual connection with you," Junhui continued, peppering it with an innocent emoji. "I'm not going to do anything that makes you feel uncomfortable." Minghao chose not to reply to the message for a little while, but then suddenly got hit with an urge to push his luck a bit. He added a quick comment to the conversation about how he missed being held and wished that he could have that sort of contact again, and Junhui ate it all up.  
"I can hold you, if you'd like. Just cuddling. Nothing more, I promise."  
"What if I wanted more?" Now he was just fuelling the beast.  
"I'd give you anything you wanted."

Partly, Minghao wondered if the other boys got that sort of message. Another part of him didn't really want to know. For a little while, he just wanted to feel special. He wanted to feel as if Junhui wanted him and him alone. He wanted to savour in the voice messages he received that called out his name, like honey dribbling down Junhui's lips and down his chin. He wanted to bask in the feelings of attraction that he'd been feeling, even though he knew well and good that it was a bad idea to get involved with the person who was paying his bills. So he simply tried to wean himself off it until he eventually saw the message from the artist that asked whether he wanted to move into the studio. "It means that I get to see you every day. I can make you breakfast if you want. It's just me, Wonwoo and Mingyu at the moment and you know how they are together."

Without masturbating first, Minghao made the big decision to move into the studio, figuring that anything was better than his current situation. After all, he figured that it was better than living with his parents, who were often uncomfortably strict with him. They had saved up a lot of money to move their family to Korea from China, and so he wasn't allowed to decorate his room too much or have much independence in general. It was as if he was still a child under his parents' roof, and he didn't really want to keep that up for the rest of his days. So it suited him much better to move in there with his colleagues. It was almost like an idol dorm room, he guessed, where he would be living with his friends for a lot of the time. Of course, though, they would also have their own space, so it wasn't as if it was going to be that annoying to be within close proximity with a ton of other people for long periods of time.

His parents were sad that he chose to move out, naturally, but they were still very supportive of the decision. They even helped him to get his things ready so that he could move into the studio with as little stress as possible. In fact, they helped him to move his boxes too - primarily so that they could see the place and determine whether they liked it or not. And apparently, they weren't too fond of it when they arrived. It was like a little loft with a few bedrooms coming off the main room and a kitchen across the hallway, and that didn't seem suitable for their son, they decided. They suggested that if he wanted to move back in with them at any point, they were always going to be there for him. But Minghao was sure that it wasn't going to be a big issue for him. After all, he was finally getting to be an adult with the money that he'd been making from his job, and it gave him more opportunities since he was going to be around a lot more. It stopped him from being lazy and gave him people to socialise with, and he enjoyed the fact that he was getting to do what he wanted with his room.

Junhui actually helped him a lot with the redecoration process, which Minghao appreciated. They'd decided to keep the wooden floors since they had heating panels underneath and it made it a lot easier for them to stay warm. However, the old wallpaper was quickly pulled off and replaced with white, which gave them a blank canvas to decorate. And so they began to splash on colour, making sure to make it as colourful as possible. Splashes from the paintbrush here and there. Flicks and splodges. A few big streaks to make a rainbow and delicate sponging to make clouds. It looked as if the rain was leaving rainbow-coloured mist around the room, and that was exactly the sort of art that Minghao wanted in the room, even if it _did_ leave them both absolutely covered in paint. Minghao's face was covered in blue and Junhui's face was covered in yellow. They had decided, pretty quickly, to make green - despite Minghao's insistence that it wasn't going to happen again, and it had only ended up stopping when they were partway through oral sex and the front door slammed, signifying another argument between Mingyu and Wonwoo.

Junhui froze and Minghao couldn't help but respond similarly. For a second, they just listened. "Look, I said I'm sorry," Mingyu's voice rang out across the apartment. "I didn't think that it was a big deal."  
"I was stood right _there_ when you asked for his number, Mingyu. Do you think I'm stupid?"  
"No, I just--"  
"Then go on a date with him. See how much I care. Because I don't. In fact, I think you'd make an _amazing_ couple, don't you think?"  
"I'm not going to go on a date with him! I just figured that it was the best way to respond to his advances so that he didn't feel hurt!"  
"You know for a _fact_ he only showed interest in you because he saw us together. And you sought to _fuel_ it so that he didn't feel bad?"

The bedroom door slammed shut behind them and their voices grew slightly muffled, but that was enough to end what Minghao and Junhui had started. "I think it's time we go somewhere for dinner," Junhui said, making sure to say it in a way that asked for no questions. "Clean yourself up as quietly as you can, then meet me in my room, okay? We have to make sure they can't hear us." Minghao took that as an excuse to get changed at lightning speed. He'd never really heard an argument that bad between the two friends and he didn't really want to hear much more. He could tell that Wonwoo was angry about an old friend trying to make advances on Mingyu, but that was most of what he'd gathered from the conversation. There was a lot of repetition from Wonwoo and a lot of justifications and apologies from Mingyu, who didn't seem to know when to keep his mouth shut.

Once they left the apartment, Junhui admitted that it had been happening a lot more lately. He said that it was hard to get on with his work when they were slamming things around, but he didn't have the heart to tell them that what they were doing was distracting. Not when he was pretty sure that there was something between them. "But Wonwoo insists that they're not in a relationship," Minghao pointed out. Junhui shrugged.  
"They _act_ like they're in a relationship, though. So I'd say they're either dating or there's a lot of romantic and sexual tension building up between them. You don't just see friends acting like that, you know." Then he paused for a moment, focusing on his walking until he'd had time to think it through properly in his head. "I hope when I fall in love, I don't act like that. It must be absolutely crushing to have a relationship that's so full of fire but in that sort of way."

Minghao understood what he meant completely. It wasn't something that he would want, either. It was something that was so vicious and full of energy, but something that was probably really unhealthy for both of them. After all, the last thing they really needed was to be fighting all the time and typically, that was a sign that the relationship was doomed to fail, but Minghao could guarantee that it wasn't something that was going to heal on its own any time soon.

Saying that, though, when they had finished and made their way home, everything was silent. Mingyu was asleep, apparently, and Wonwoo was on the sofa. He was watching a comedy show but staying silent the whole time. Junhui excused himself to continue with his work, but Minghao decided to stay in the main room with his friend. "What are you watching?" he asked as if he hadn't heard the argument happening. Wonwoo flashed a glance at him.  
"I don't know. It was the first thing that came up and I didn't have anything in particular to watch, so I just let it keep running."  
"Is it funny?"  
"I guess."

He sounded fragile, despite his efforts to cover it up. Minghao shuffled closer and leant his head on Wonwoo's shoulder.

"How's your day been?" Wonwoo asked as he wrapped an arm around Minghao's shoulder. It was a lot less tense than he imagined, and that was good.  
"Not bad. Busy. We moved all of my stuff today and then Junhui helped me to paint my room. I'm worried that it's still going to have the paint smell tonight, even though we've had the window open all day." Wonwoo cursed softly under his breath.  
"I forgot that you were moving in today, sorry. I was going to sleep in there tonight, but I guess it's the sofa or the floor, huh?" He let out a laugh, although it sounded sadder than usual. Minghao leant into his side that bit more.

"Is everything okay? Do you need to talk?" he asked. Wonwoo sighed softly.  
"Just a silly little argument. Mingyu and I essentially share a bed, so it's a bit awkward being in the same room as him for the night after we've had a scrap." Minghao apologised and informed him that he could take the bed if that was what he needed. Wonwoo shook his head. "It's your bed. Besides, it's my fault that we fought, so maybe it's better for me to face my punishment." Again, silence followed for a moment, and then Wonwoo raised his knees to his chest. "I just... I had a friend who came out just after I did, you know. When we were in high school. It was weird but I guessed that perhaps he didn't know how I would respond so he waited until I announced it first. But then he tried to take every guy I was interested in. I almost had a boyfriend once, then he snatched him up. I moved on to someone else, then he did too. And I know we're both adults and that's not the case anymore, but we were in a coffee shop and he just..."

"He started flirting with Mingyu or something?" Minghao asked. Wonwoo nodded.  
"And I know we're not together or anything, but it hurt. It took me back to the days where we were always competing and the way I ended up cutting him off because I couldn't stand the thought of getting married down the line and having him tempt my partner away from me. After all, he was always more successful in school; more popular, smart, athletic, attractive." For a while, they stayed silent, but Wonwoo was the one to break it again. "Not that I have feelings for Mingyu, of course, but..."

Minghao knew at that point that he probably _did_ have feelings for Mingyu. It was something that could have been left unsaid, and yet it had ended up surfacing nonetheless. It was something that he could have assumed Minghao to know after the number of times he'd brought it up. Now, it was almost certain - Wonwoo had feelings for him.

"Of course not. Now, how about we go to bed early. We can share the bed - I'm sure there's plenty of room." He wasn't about to take 'no' for an answer, admittedly. Before Wonwoo had had time to come up with an answer, Minghao switched off the television and made his way through to the bedroom, keeping a grip on Wonwoo's wrist the entire time. His friend followed without arguing and then finally took a seat on the bed.   
"Let me know if I annoy you with my squirming or cuddling," he said as he changed into his pyjamas and shuffled as close to the wall as possible. Wonwoo clambered in next to him, and there was silence for a minute or two before his voice rang out again.

"Minghao?"  
"Mmm?"  
"Thank you for listening to me. I appreciate the support."  
"Don't worry about it." And that was that until the following morning.

Minghao woke up earlier than Wonwoo, having forgotten that they were sharing a bed for a moment. He sat in silence as he fixed his orientation, and then slowly climbed over his friend so that he could go through to the kitchen and make breakfast.

Naturally, Mingyu was there. After the awkwardness of the argument, he _had_ to be awake already. And he jumped up from his stool as soon as he saw Minghao exit the bedroom, only to realise that there was no need for such a nervous reaction. "Did he stay in your room last night?" he asked. Minghao nodded. He let out a sigh of relief.  
"You screwed up bad, though," Minghao pointed out. "He was really upset over your argument." Surprisingly, Mingyu nodded and took a seat again, choosing to keep his eyes on his empty plate whilst Minghao made his way around the kitchen, preparing his own meal.

"I know. I shouldn't have been like that with other guys when he was there. I just thought he was being nice, you know. The guy, that was. I figured there was no harm in it because I love making friends. But I guess it probably did seem like I was trying to get involved with him when I asked for his number." And so, he continued trying to explain himself, leaving Minghao to listen and comment between his cooking.

To be honest, Minghao was rather happy that his friends felt that level of closeness with him to be able to discuss those sorts of things. He couldn't really show it off when they were upset, of course, but it gave him a wonderful sense that he was a part of the family once they'd begun speaking about such personal issues. And there was something more about the sense that Mingyu and Wonwoo were confiding in him about their relationship and how it was rocky. It was the sort of exchange that occurred between close friends, suggesting that he was already building an exceptional bond with them despite his few reservations. Not necessarily something that he _should've_ been happy about, but something that did leave him feeling comfortable nonetheless.

So he gave the best advice he could, regarding the next steps for making it up to Wonwoo, and then simply left them to it. It wasn't too long before there was a message in the group chat anyway, which contained a breakdown of the sales made by each of them during the exhibition. Apparently, Minghao's pieces had proved to be a particular hit with those who had been following the studio for a while, since they brought new proportions and media types into the mix. That was something that had led to a huge confidence boost for the model, frankly, although he didn't dare to admit it in the group chat.

"That settles the plans for a movie night," Seokmin added soon after the message was sent. "Soonyoung and I will bring a load of snacks, courtesy of our bonuses, and we're gonna stay on the sofa until we've watched every Lord of the Rings movie, extended cuts, plus The Hobbits, Be ready for over twenty amazing hours with your favourite people!" The message was peppered with a selection of emojis, although they didn't seem to soften the blow much for Mingyu and Wonwoo, who had seemingly made up just fine and were already blowing up the chat with alternative suggestions to get four-hundred thousand won worth of pizza and snacks in preparation for an ultimate Smash tournament instead.

Again, it was further evidence that Minghao was home. He felt a warm feeling in his chest as he curled up with his breakfast in one hand, and that warmth remained even as Junhui made his way out of his room in just pyjama bottoms - with bed hair and eye bags - and simply sat down next to him. "Hey," he said without much energy. Minghao smiled in acknowledgement and there was silence for a moment whilst the artist seemingly tried to ground himself. Slowly, he woke up and ran a hand through his hair before turning fully to face Minghao.

"You know how many of your pieces sold, by the way?" he asked. Minghao shook his head and waited for the reply. "All of them. I just got the final confirmation through now." As if Minghao needed any proof, he turned his phone around to show the message that he'd received just prior to his post in the group chat. Minghao felt his heart skip a beat right away.  
"That's..."  
"Amazing, I know. You're the first of my boys to have sold out in their first big exhibition, you know. I mean... I did put an exceptional amount of effort into your pieces, mind you, but it's because you're such a handsome model that the world needed to see how good you look."

Okay, a little _less_ impressive, but Minghao was going to take it nonetheless. He shuffled closer as Junhui began to show him through the interpretations he'd made, making sure to highlight certain parts as if the model hadn't been following themes in art for the longest time. The coloured splashes of paint on the monochrome shibari piece represented the spark of electricity caused by an orgasm, for example, and the water on his skin had been created with oil paint to give texture and look realistic. There was a selection of photos that made his skin look absolutely flawless, whilst still maintaining an air of dignity, and there were some pieces that were rather creative, almost like a mosaic, to represent the trickle of distaste for nudity that was still present in society overall.

Minghao had to admit, it was beautiful. He was impressed to see how his body was turned into art so readily, and even more pleased when Junhui actively told him that he found every inch of him to be beautiful in every picture so it was hard to pick his focus and keep to it. It had been experimental, he said, but the shapes of Minghao's body made for a great place to start.

Then he touched the back of Minghao's hand and sent electricity through his body. It was as if his core had decided that the sweet-talking was all he needed and that the only important thing at that moment was being close to Junhui.

They kissed.

It was sweeter than Minghao could have imagined. It was free from the lust that he'd experienced when Junhui first kissed him. It still left his head feeling a bit clouded, but it wasn't nearly as bad as it was in the hotel. At least he could function that time and the freedom from ropes left him able to press his fingertips to Junhui's cheek. And they continued, keeping it gentle until the sound of the bedroom door handle shocked them apart and left them on opposite sides of the sofa again.

A tickling feeling in Minghao's stomach told him that it was wrong for him to jump straight back into that rabbit hole, but he hadn't really had the space to masturbate and shun the need to exercise his immediate desires. Besides, it wasn't as if it was _that_ obvious. Mingyu and Wonwoo were back in their bubble and on their way to change into day clothes, and Junhui was due to go back to work soon enough so that he could send off the last few pieces of art to their respective owners and finish up the final commissions before Seokmin and Soonyoung arrived at the studio that afternoon.

Perhaps moving into the studio was a bad idea after all, but Minghao wasn't going to take it back after the events that had already unravelled since his time there. Even if it _did_ mean that his judgement was sometimes clouded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ope, bit of a life update...
> 
> So I'm not going home now because of the virus stopping me from leaving my apartment (I don't have it but there've been over 1000 cases in our province sooooo precautions, and also xenophobia in my hometown) but then again, I'm literally stuck in my apartment for at least 24 more days, so I'll... well, I'll still be here, updating haha
> 
> Expect more regular updates for the remaining 12 chapters!!


	6. Chapter 6

For a few weeks after Minghao had moved into the studio, life was great. 

He loved having breakfast in his pyjamas with some of his closest friends. He loved the late nights of watching TV or movies, and sometimes playing video games together. He even _genuinely_ enjoyed having Junhui knocking on his door at two o'clock in the morning when his bedroom light was on anyway. He loved hearing that honey voice purr that the sky looked beautiful and he wanted to go out onto the roof to sketch Minghao's body. He would take a huge pad of paper and some pencils, and then he would put Minghao in whatever pose he felt like. Sometimes it would be natural. Minghao would put himself into a position as he gazed up at the stars, trying his hardest to identify some of the constellations, and Junhui would sketch out the image. Other times, it would include what Junhui wanted to see. Pictures of his face looking sultry or of him tied to a chair or spreading out on a soft blanket.

Those sorts of poses almost certainly led to more and Minghao wished he hated it. He wished he could tell Junhui that he didn't want to do those sorts of things, but the fact of the matter was that he loved doing it and he especially loved how he would be invited to spend the night in Junhui's bedroom when that happened.

It was a lovely room, but it was the room of a narcissist. A man who loved to watch himself in the bedroom. It told the stories of the other men who had been there before him and it told the stories of Junhui's experiences with said men. Minghao didn't want to know how recently Junhui had slept with someone else, but the bedroom told of the times he _had_. Of course, he knew that he wasn't the artist's first but he just hoped that it would have been long enough for him to be the first in a while. The headboard had handcuffs attached to one side, and the room had four different mirrors. One of those was even on the ceiling. Then there were the loops from either corner fo the four-poster bed, which Minghao assumed were for shibari. He'd seen a room that looked like this one in some of the portraits that Junhui had created, so he assumed that that was what was happening there. 

Then again, there was also a sense of comfort in that room. A sense of softness that enveloped him between four beige walls. The rustic feeling of the worn wood underneath his feet, which was suddenly cut short by the tickle of faux-fur from the white rug next to the bed. Minghao loved being able to take in every last sensual experience that the room offered late at night, even down to the slight chill from the poorly-sealed windows. And it would start again as soon as he woke up. The curtains couldn't quite be closed fully, and that meant that there was always a trickle of light coming in through the window each morning. More often than not, Junhui didn't even bother to close them at night, which left them bathing in the warmth of the sunlight that was there to caress them awake.

 _More often than not,_ Minghao would feel Junhui's lips on his neck as they woke up. It would leave electricity prickling under his skin and would jolt him awake almost instantly. "What are you feeling today?" he would ask once his lips were grazing against the back of Minghao's ear. The model would simply let out a vague noise, which could be interpreted as anything. "Quicky or breakfast?" Minghao would choose breakfast, without a doubt. It allowed him to feel that little bit less guilty about doing exactly what he kept saying he wouldn't do and besides, breakfast was the most important meal of the day and it allowed him to fuel himself properly before the day officially started.

Junhui thought it was weird, but it was perfectly logical, as far as Minghao was concerned. And so that was what he would choose and there would be no arguments, but they would absolutely check to make sure that Mingyu and Wonwoo were out of the way before emerging from the bedroom, just in case one of them put two and two together. They weren't stupid - it was bound to happen eventually. But for now, Minghao was going to enjoy basking in the joy of friends-with-benefits. He was getting what he wanted, after all, and life was sweet.

Until, of course, it wasn't. Naturally.

 _That_ much came as a shock. Minghao had expected life to go on as normal that day, but then Junhui had messaged the group chat and things changed very quickly. "Everyone, I've found us a new model. He's coming to the studio later today for some practice shots, but I wanted to let you know beforehand. His name is Samuel and he just turned eighteen. He saw some of the headshots and the more artistic pieces I've done and wanted to work on those. Don't make things awkward when he comes in, please. He won't be taking off any clothes for anyone and I want everyone to be very clear about that." The tone was rather firm, but rightfully so. If Minghao was in the position where he was introducing someone younger to the group, he figured he would probably do it in a similar sort of fashion. After all, it wasn't the kid's problem that everyone else had artistic nudes slapped around the place. It was just a surprise that Junhui had allowed him to join, considering his age.

Of course, everyone showed genuine warmth to the boy when he turned up. Junhui said that he would be there shortly afterwards, as he needed to finish some errands first, but that wasn't really a problem at all. Wonwoo had welcomed him straight into the studio and had taken his bag and coat to hang up, then promptly asked him if he'd eaten anything on the way over. Samuel admitted that he hadn't really eaten all day and that brought out Wonwoo's big brother side. He immediately sat him down on one of the bar stools as he began rooting through the fridge and cupboards to make him something to eat. In the end, he'd made an omelette and rice and had insisted that he tell someone if he was still hungry afterwards because they'd all be more than happy to make him some more food.

"You didn't do that for me when we first met," Mingyu pointed out with a pout before introducing himself to Samuel. Wonwoo rolled his eyes right away.  
"He's a growing boy and he needs food. If you grow any more, your head will be breaking a hole in the ceiling." That left both Mingyu and Samuel snickering and was the start of a discussion between them until Minghao finally got the guts to leave his room and greet his new colleague.

Admittedly, it was a bit more awkward than he imagined. He didn't really know what to say and the kid didn't quite look how he imagined. As it turned out, his father was Mexican and he was born in America, although that didn't really explain his height that much. Minghao had always expected that Western men were a bit taller than that, but he supposed that perhaps he was making big assumptions on a topic he didn't really know much about. So he ended up dropping it so that he could talk about other things, like the things that Samuel did at school and what his plans were for the future.

He wanted to be a dancer, he said. It was his biggest dream, as he really loved everything artistic. Being able to explore his creative side with Junhui was something that really excited him, apparently, and that meant that he would be able to pick up an awful lot before he continued to work towards his dreams. In fact, he'd heard about Junhui's work during an art class, since his teacher was rather unusual in her teaching style and made sure that they explored local artists as well as the classics.

As if on cue, Junhui arrived back at the apartment. He had come back with some expensive Mexican dishes in tow, which had left them all amazed until he'd put them on the kitchen side and was straight over to Samuel so that he could stand next to him. Minghao instantly noticed the way that his body language grew exceptionally warm and he was suddenly very aware of the fact that his blood was pumping around his body. He bit his tongue nonetheless. "That's all for the three of you. Sam and I are going to have a look around the studio and then I'm taking him for a walk around the area before he goes home. He has school tomorrow and I'm concerned that he still has homework," Junhui said softly as he encouraged the student to stand and follow him, and so that was that. Minghao, Mingyu and Wonwoo were stood in complete silence.

"Should we eat before it gets cold?" Mingyu asked quietly. Wonwoo seemed to be judging their expressions slightly as his eyes flickered between them, but then he quickly began to plate up the food before turning back towards Minghao.  
"Do you want to come to our room to eat this? Our bed is pretty comfortable and we can spend some time talking, if you want." He didn't really want that but he agreed regardless. Wonwoo's tone suggested that it was more a statement than a question anyway. So he followed them, keeping his hands solidly underneath the plate as they went, then sat with his legs crossed on Mingyu's side of the bed.

For a moment, they were silent. The smell of the food had made them realise how hungry they were - as if Samuel's omelette hadn't - and they'd taken a few minutes just to adjust to the fact that it was there and it was more delicious than they could've possibly imagined. But then the happiness wore off and Minghao knew that his friends could tell that much. Wonwoo reached out a hand to touch his knee. "Are you okay?" His tone suggested that it was a genuine, serious question, rather than an off-hand check. Minghao truly wanted to lie and say that he was fine but he knew that his friends knew something was wrong. So he spent a moment just watching his hands until he felt he was ready to speak about it. After all, it was only right after both Mingyu _and_ Wonwoo had spoken to him about _their_ issues with their relationship.

"Junhui just seemed awful close to him already," he said softly. "I felt like I was something special to him lately, that's all. He didn't even greet me when he came in." Wonwoo's face was particularly pitiful, whilst Mingyu just seemed disappointed on Minghao's behalf.  
"I don't know if this'll make you feel better but whilst Jun might sleep with almost anyone, Samuel crosses that line by a mile. Jun's not a creep. As I said, he'd stop pursuing someone who said they weren't interested, and he wouldn't even _give_ the kid that sort of option. I hope that that's not how you feel, though, because I know that even logically knowing that he's not interested in someone isn't always enough to shut those thoughts off for you," Wonwoo pointed out. Mingyu flashed him a guilty glance for a fraction of a second. Minghao just about caught it. That had been the subject of at least four arguments since he'd moved into the studio, so he figured Wonwoo knew that feeling well.

But that wasn't _quite_ what caught his attention. "What do you mean he'd sleep with almost anyone? Have you guys slept with him before or something?" There was suddenly a look of guilt on both of their faces, although they tried to hide it as much as possible. "Look, you were both here first - I can't really judge either of you over it." He already knew the answer to the question, after all, and this was just a chance for them to admit how often it had been.  
"We used to sleep together a lot," Mingyu added quickly, presumably to get it out of the way. "The mirrors are my fault because we're both handsome people and I figured looking at myself would be pretty cool. Turns out, Wonu said it's pretty narcissistic. So I've tried to get more humble about things and mirrors are banned in this room."

Minghao was certain he'd spotted a glare. After having seen the little flashes of emotions around the studio, he'd become a lot more used to spotting them in a short space of time. He'd keep it in the back of his mind for later but for now, he would let them think he hadn't seen it. Apparently, much like how he had managed to convince himself that they didn't know he'd been in Junhui's bedroom. The way Mingyu had spoken about it showed he knew of Minghao's familiarity with the place, even though he knew they hadn't done any paintings or photos in there. Silence followed, and then Wonwoo let out a soft sigh. "I can't say that I was involved with him as such, but we've messed around a few times."  
"And what about Seokmin and Soonyoung?" Minghao asked right away. He was suddenly aware that his voice sounded coarse, although the only response he got was Wonwoo shuffling a little closer to him.

"They have a weird sort of relationship with him. I'll tell you about it, but you have to promise that what we say in this room stays in this room. Do you understand?" Minghao agreed right away, so Wonwoo proceeded to spill it whilst trying his hardest to avoid hitting a sore spot along the way. He explained how there was some tension because they'd been in an on-off relationship before they joined the studio and then they'd both simultaneously decided that they wanted Junhui. He had been oblivious and had been messing around with both of them, which had led to tensions when they both found out. More recently, they were considering leaving the studio over it, despite the fact that Soonyoung was still very much trying to play his cards and Seokmin occasionally tested his luck.

"And how long has it been since he last slept with someone, do you think?" This time, Mingyu stepped right in first.  
"Hey, I don't think it's good that you're putting yourself through this. If you're exclusive with him, you should probably have a chat. If you're not exclusive, maybe talk about making it exclusive with him. He's a player but he's not an asshole. He just needs someone to tell him what they expect of him and he'll do it." He reached over too, ensuring that Minghao was conscious of the fact that he was being held from both sides. Minghao let out a soft sigh in response, but he knew that his friend made a fair point.

Saying that, though, he guessed that Junhui would know if there was something between them. And considering that the artist persistently went out of his way to make him feel special, he just wished that he knew where they stood with each other. After all, it wasn't as if _Minghao_ got involved with everyone he met. Likewise, he knew that Junhui had more access to people who would be willing to sleep with him but that didn't necessarily mean that he _had_ to do that. So he decided that they would have a chat at some point and his friends promptly agreed that it was for the best.

Then they finished up. They went to clean off their plates and then parted ways for the evening and Minghao made his way straight over to his room so that he could get some sleep. Of course, he found that the thoughts of Junhui's other relationships filled his mind. He'd been stupid to feel special and now, whether he liked it or not, it seemed that Samuel was going to make it to the top of Junhui's priority list. Maybe not in the same way, as the other models pointed out, but he knew that there would be a difference in the way that he was treated if Junhui was going to baby Samuel whenever he came to the studio. Knowing that it _wasn't_ going to involve anything physical actually made Minghao feel even worse since it would mean that they would have a lot more chance for emotional connections and Samuel would end up becoming the one who was looked after with special care. And yet, Minghao was jealous about that. He'd spent so long feeling as if he was the one who lit the sky with stars, only to have the moon come along and change that completely.

There came a gentle knock on Minghao's bedroom door, which snapped him away from his thoughts right away.

"Minghao, are you awake?" Junhui said in Chinese. Minghao didn't say a word. The artist slowly opened the door and made his way in. Minghao could hear him moving about, then the feeling of the bed sinking behind him as Junhui climbed in behind him and cuddled against his back. "Are you awake?" he repeated softly. Minghao let out an irritated grunt, in hopes that it would show how little he wanted to talk. Junhui ignored it. "Gyu told me that I need to come and talk to you because I upset you when I didn't talk to you earlier. Is that true?" Minghao felt as if he'd been shot straight through his chest. It was a foreign feeling in his core and he hated that.

"Why would Mingyu lie about that?" Minghao pointed out. "Answer this: what do you actually think about me?" he asked as he turned over to face the artist. Junhui looked surprised by the question.  
"Just because I didn't greet you one time?"  
"No, there are other things too." The artist took a few seconds to think about his answer, although he didn't seem to be as comfortable with answering the question as Minghao would have liked. It suggested to him that it wasn't going to be as straightforward as he would have hoped.

"I like you a lot," he said. "I think you're very handsome and you have a great personality. I love how you spend time with me, even when you could be spending time with other people instead, and you're passionate in the bedroom too. I also like that we can speak Chinese with each other because I love your accent when you speak Chinese. I think northern accents are more attractive than southern accents in China." It took every bit of Minghao's strength not to feel flattered by the comments, especially the one about his accent. It was always something that he tried to tone down around Chinese southerners since he was painfully aware of how they often joked about the northern pronunciation of vowels, but he managed to pull through without showing off how he was feeling.

Except when it came to asking about exclusivity, he quickly found that he couldn't do it.

That threw a spanner in the works. It made him feel awkward and uncomfortable. That had been the whole point of turning over to talk to him in the first place, but the desire to mention it was quickly slipping away from him. Deep in his soul, he knew that they weren't exclusive and they probably weren't _going_ to be exclusive. And even if Junhui agreed to it, he was certain that it wasn't going to feel that way when he'd essentially assigned himself to be Samuel's protector. Besides, it wasn't as if Minghao wasn't _aware_ that he was involved with the other models before Mingyu and Wonwoo shed some light on it. He was merely in denial. He distinctly remembered thinking about that on a number of occasions in the past. He just liked to hope that it had stopped as soon as Junhui began inviting him to spend the night in his room.

So Minghao did the only thing he knew what to do when he was faced with that feeling of inferiority. He decided he was going to take the lead in making demands so that he could push Junhui to realise what he'd lose if he kept trying his luck. Minghao wasn't the sort of guy to pursue someone who wasn't so into him, after all, even though he'd felt something between them all the way from the first time that he heard Junhui saying his name. This was going to be his first and last attempt at getting Junhui to make something of what they had.

"Take me to your bedroom," he said firmly. "I want you to tie me up like you did the first time we slept together and I want you to take photos for your eyes only. Then I want you to make it so that I never want to touch another man again in my life, aside from you." He didn't even need to check whether Junhui understood him. The artist gave a mechanical nod as he slowly got out of the bed and made his way through to his own room with Minghao following close behind.

Perhaps it had been worth being firm with Junhui, Minghao mused. It had left them in a position where the artist was probably doting on him even more than usual. Junhui had spent a good amount of time worshipping his entire body before suspending him, and he was more than happy to use his mouth in ways that were only going to be one-sided that night. After all, Minghao was upset with him and was _certainly not_ going to have anything in his mouth when he was feeling like that. But that was fine for the moment. Absolutely fine. It gave Junhui the chance to apologise through his actions and boy, was he trying his hardest with that.

Junhui had opted for a knotting technique that was a lot more simplistic that time. Saying that, though, he was still very particular about the knots and had specifically made it look like a corset on Minghao's chest. It was an interesting idea, admittedly, and made it look very traditional, especially when paired with his arms being tied behind his back. Then he spoke up for the first time since they'd arrived in the bedroom. "How comfortable are you with having your legs straight up so you look like a prawn?" he asked. Minghao insisted he go for it, just to see what it would be like.

Admittedly, it was pretty uncomfortable. Not only did it mean that his breathing was restricted, but it was hard to keep his legs up whilst the artist was securing the ropes. It did get better once they were finished with that, but it meant that they needed that extra support when he was being suspended too. Junhui employed the help of a secured stool so that he didn't have as far to pull Minghao up through the two loops that were placed on either side of the mirror on the ceiling. Something that Minghao hadn't really noticed before, but he supposed that it made sense. How else would the models have been suspended from the ceiling with a mirror in the way, after all? "Don't worry, they're secured through the floor of the attic. Completely safe; no chance of it breaking whilst you're suspended," Junhui said as he began to pull the rope tightly. Minghao felt his breath leave his body as he realised that he was completely suspended, then he tried his hardest to watch as even the tying process on an anchor point was almost artistic as Junhui did everything he could to make sure that there was no chance of the model falling.

And then he was all over him. Photos were taken with speed so that he could get onto the part that he was _really_ looking forward to. He had made the position just high enough to be able to get to Minghao's body with few issues, and so he had no difficulties in having his way with him and letting Minghao fill the room with the sounds of his lust.

If this didn't work for keeping Junhui's attention, Minghao didn't know what else would.


	7. Chapter 7

"I'm sure you're all aware at this point, but Minghao will no longer be working with us at the studio. I will be removing him from this group chat in five minutes, so make sure you message him before that time if you wish to keep him as a contact. Be warned that the rest of you are on thin ice too, so don't try to convince me to change my mind."

Reading the message left Minghao's heart in his stomach and his throat tingling with the taste of salt. It was disgusting and he felt awful about it, yet he knew that it was something that had to be done. He had royally fucked up and that was no one else's problem but his own.

That wasn't to say that he hadn't cried over it, though. He absolutely had. It had been an awful week that was topped off by that conversation with Junhui, and the artist had been very firm about the fact that he was no longer welcome to stay at the studio. He had a week to move his things out, he said, but the other models weren't to talk to him if they saw him inside the studio in that time. He would be given some release money and sent on his way, and then Junhui hoped that they'd never had the misfortune of bumping into each other in the future either.

Admittedly, it hurt. Minghao hadn't _meant_ to be how he was, but it was hard to switch off sometimes. And seeing how cold Junhui had suddenly become towards him was something that upset him more than he'd care to admit. It put things into perspective and showed him that things weren't as simple as he'd hoped, and he really started to feel that perhaps he'd gone overboard with letting his emotions rule him. Yet, there wasn't much he could really do about it. He and Junhui weren't on speaking terms and he had a feeling that the artist was going to be firm about that. It would certainly fit in with what he was saying about the situation.

It had all started on Tuesday that week, actually. Junhui had sent a message to the group chat to ask someone to pick Samuel up from school and Minghao had realised very quickly that they hadn't spoken in person in at least three days. And the more he thought about it, the more his feelings started to build. After all, when he was so interested in the guy and they had had so many romantic and, well, _sexual_ encounters too, it was frustrating that their last conversation had been about groceries. And the one before that was about cleaning the studio. And the one before that had been - surprise, surprise - about Samuel. And Minghao realised very quickly that he'd been letting it all build for a while. He hadn't addressed the fact that Junhui's interest had switched instantly and he wasn't even taking the opportunities he had to talk to Minghao properly.

It took him a while to figure it out, but the issue had been less about Samuel and more about the fact that Junhui was using it as an excuse to disconnect. If it was just about Samuel, perhaps they would at least be able to talk about the kid at times and have a proper conversation in the process. But no, it looked as if Junhui had genuinely found _someone else_. Not Samuel, obviously - he was more of a cover to hide the level of distraction - but _someone_. And so, Minghao started to keep track. He woke early and slept late because there was no way for Junhui to open or close the door without it echoing through the building. Minghao would write down the time he left and the time he arrived and if he accidentally missed it, he would make an estimation based on fresh Junhui's bedsheets seemed.

And yes, he knew that it sounded crazy. He knew that it was absolutely, positively a problem and it wasn't his place to really look out for those sorts of things, but something had clicked in his mind when he found out that Junhui was sleeping with the other models. The way that he had said his name, like the words melted on his lips, was no longer charming. Their electric touch was probably just static, mixed with the desire for any sort of intimacy at all, since Minghao hadn't really had _proper_ sex before Junhui came along. But then again, it wasn't only because he had suspicions that Junhui was seeing someone else for more than sex. It was also partly down to the fact that Minghao had been overlooked for every photoshoot and live drawing for the best part of a month since Samuel had arrived. In fact, the night before the kid had been introduced was the last time that Junhui drew him and it was the point where their sex had started to trickle away.

At least, that was what he liked to convince himself anyway.

It was probably about Samuel, at least a little bit. But Minghao had a thousand things running around in his mind and he needed someone to blame, and that person was going to be Junhui, whether he liked it or not, because Samuel actually turned out to be a pretty cool kid.

After the text to pick him up from school, Minghao had ended up losing his patience when he was cooking eggs. He'd burnt the underside of one of them and immediately lost his patience, throwing the pan straight into the bin. It had caught Seokmin and Mingyu's attention as he stormed off to his room to calm down, although neither of them said anything. Then, after a couple of minutes, Minghao heard the sizzle and spitting of frying eggs outside of his room, followed by a gentle knock on the door. And whilst he didn't really want anyone to be with him, Mingyu had insisted. He walked straight over to the bed and spooned Minghao gently. Minghao was suddenly aware of how starved for touch he'd been as he felt Mingyu pressing against him that gently. It remained unaddressed, though, despite the fact that it made Minghao's heart race.

"Do you want to talk about it?" his voice cut through the silence of the room.  
"Not really."  
"Seokmin is cooking some more eggs. Should we go out and see him?"  
"I don't want to."  
"Fine, then I'll talk to you about something else, okay?" And so he began to discuss something that Minghao had been thinking about quite a lot. He talked about how he took Wonwoo on a date to the COEX to look at the fish and he'd watched as Wonwoo fell in love with the wombat and wanted to adopt it. He said that since he was rich enough, he wanted to adopt it for Wonwoo so that he'd be able to see him smiling often. Minghao flashed a glance back at him, having temporarily forgotten about his stresses as the age-old question came up.

"Look, are you two seeing each other or something?" he asked. "You've been all over each other for the longest time."  
"Uh," Mingyu started, then he stopped. For a moment, he just cuddled back against Minghao's back until the younger model turned around to look at him.  
"Mingyu."  
"Okay, fine. We've been dating since you arrived here. Do you remember when we went out with everyone and then came back to watch movies? I asked him to be my boyfriend the next morning. But we decided not to tell anyone since we didn't want to make everyone uncomfortable around us. We're two very different people, after all."

Whilst discussing other people's relationships probably should have made Minghao feel worse, since it was a reminder of the situation between him and Junhui, he actually felt a lot better knowing what was happening between his friends. It was something that they had tried to keep a secret for the longest time, but it hadn't really worked out. The arguments they'd had were only really the sort that happened between people who were dating or almost dating, not friends who had no romantic connection.

Besides, it did actually help Minghao to open up about what he was feeling. When Mingyu had finished explaining the situation - which was peppered with some frankly adorable confessions to thinking that he was genuinely in love with Wonwoo already - there was a moment of silence in which Minghao felt sad. And then it all came spilling out at once. He said he didn't want to make it seem as if he was trying to overpower Mingyu's happy feelings with his own sad ones, but he was genuinely really upset about everything that had gone down since Samuel had arrived and now, he was starting to realise that there was something really unusual about Junhui's approach to everything. Mingyu had _gone_ to say that it wasn't Samuel's fault until Minghao had pointed out how little he was in the studio those days, and then he'd stopped completely and thought it over again.

"I mean, he could just be doing errands?" Mingyu suggested. Minghao shook his head.  
"Errands, every day from around six o'clock to eleven? That's seventeen hours a day, Mingyu. What could he possibly be doing for seventeen hours every single day?" It made sense, Mingyu said. He could understand why Minghao was upset now. And sure, Junhui's attention was more on Samuel those days, but it wasn't entirely different to what they were going through. He just sent someone to pick the kid up after classes and make sure that he arrives at the studio, and then they would make him something to eat because he was studying for his exams but rarely thought to eat lunch at school. Even _he_ wasn't really getting to interact with Junhui that much either.

They ended up coming up with a plan, naturally. The following day, when Junhui asked for someone to pick Samuel up from school, Minghao offered before anyone else had the chance to do so. And then he did exactly as he said he would. He went to Samuel's school and waited for him, and he watched as Samuel spotted him and scurried over.

He really looked like a child in his uniform, Minghao noted. It made him feel somewhat bad about the fact that he'd taken things out on the kid in the early days, especially as they started talking as they walked together. And sure, he was eighteen, but he was still very much a baby and Minghao quickly got very protective over him. "Have you eaten anything today?" Minghao finally asked after they'd spent a few minutes walking together. Samuel shook his head. Minghao mirrored him in disbelief. "Right, we're gonna go for something to eat together. What are you in the mood to eat?"

They'd ended up resorting to a fast-food restaurant, after Samuel had been awkward about making requests, and then made their way to the back of the seating area where they could be alone. For a moment, they simply ate in silence, but then Samuel looked up and they made eye contact and Minghao couldn't help but give a nervous smile. "Minghao?" Samuel finally said. Minghao acknowledged him with a slight head tilt and an inquisitive hum. "Thank you for the meal and all. How much do you want when my paycheck comes through?"  
"Why would I want your money? I offered to get you food so we're getting food together."  
"Oh, it's just... I thought you hated me or something. So I didn't want to assume anything."

Minghao swallowed hard. So Samuel had noticed the tension, despite his recent efforts to hide his feelings.

"No no, it's not like that," he blurted as soon as his mouth could open again. "I... I'm upset with Junhui is all. And I realised that I was probably taking it out on you, and I feel bad about that. I'm sorry that I made you feel that way." It was genuinely true, surprisingly enough. He _did_ feel bad and the last thing he wanted to do was make Samuel feel hated when it wasn't his problem at all. He watched as the tension disappeared from Samuel's face immediately and relief washed over Minghao's soul. Perhaps he was going to warm up to the kid. It wasn't a hatred - not at all - but he was certainly rather cold towards him and the kid's reaction to it had left him sad. But then again, there was something nice about the way that Samuel suddenly grew more talkative and tried to work through his own shyness, which Minghao knew was there from the first time they'd met. The kid was a huge introvert and it was really tough for him to be talking that much with someone who he thought hated him. And Minghao respected that more than he anticipated.

They'd ended up discussing Junhui on the way to the studio, funnily enough. Samuel pointed out that the artist was very present in his first few days, but that was it. Occasionally, he popped up to ask if he could do a portrait. Usually, it required a level of body art - although Junhui was absolutely strict on the fact that he wasn't allowed any nudity at all until he was at least twenty years old - or he would pose with some objects in the room. Apparently, some of the customers had eaten it up, although Junhui had made sure to only sell to people who didn't expect the same level of intimacy from Samuel as they did the other models. He was protective, like an older brother or something, and the only slightly questionable thing he'd done in front of Samuel was light up a cigarette.

That made Minghao's stomach drop. A cigarette. It was something very little, but it was still something he didn't know about Junhui. He'd always assumed that he was a non-smoker and he'd never really had anything to change his perception of that. And yet, Samuel said that he'd seen the artist smoking on several occasions. Only tobacco, naturally, but he said he did it when he was stressed and heck, he was incredibly stressed at that point.

Those thoughts stayed in Minghao's head for some time. For the rest of the week, for that matter. What did Junhui have to feel stressed over? It was nothing that they wouldn't be able to help him with in the studio. He was raking in money and he was doing very well when it came to respect and reputation. And yet, he was being difficult with them all like that. He wasn't talking to anyone, he was disappearing for most of the day every day, and he was experiencing some difficulties that had led him to take up smoking.

Of course, Minghao had to confront him about it.

He waited until Saturday when Junhui came in and started heading straight to his room, then he swung open his bedroom door. "Jun?" he said, almost cringing at the way he'd addressed the artist in a way that he'd never addressed him before. It sounded weird coming from his mouth but he tried his hardest to look past it. Junhui simply froze and stared at him, much like an animal who had been caught in headlights. Minghao continued. "Can you come to my room for a few minutes?"  
"Sorry, I'm not in the mood for sex tonight, Minghao," he said, then he moved towards his room again. Minghao reached out to grab his wrist.  
"It's not about that. I want to talk to you." This time, he was firm. Junhui made eye contact with him briefly, then slowly nodded.

It was a lot more awkward when they were in the room together, admittedly. Minghao suddenly didn't know where to start and whilst Junhui probably knew some of the reasons why he was being called in for a chat, he didn't really know what was happening either. So they sat there for a moment until Minghao finally came out with the main topic: his theory.

"So, who have you been sleeping with lately? You've been leaving early and coming home late every day since Samuel arrived." Not a great start, admittedly. Junhui's body tensed right away, and his expression grew cold.  
"Look, Minghao, if you're going to accuse me of sleeping with a high school student, I'm gonna stop you right there. I'm not like that and Samuel can confirm it."  
"Well, I know that," Minghao replied, exasperated already. "I'm not stupid. I wouldn't still be sleeping with you here and there if I thought you were involved with him, even if you're with everyone else in the studio."

It just slipped out. He hadn't thought before he spoke. For a second, Junhui's posture softened, but it wasn't how it should have been. Instead, his eyes filled with mistrust immediately. "What have they been spreading about me?" he said softly. Minghao tried his best to back-track but Junhui said it again, this time firmer.  
"I just know that you still sleep with all of us when you make art with us. That's all."  
"It's consensual," Junhui blurted out immediately. There was a look of panic on his face. "I'm not trying to break anyone up by being sneaky. Things just happen and they go along with it. That's all that's happening."

For a minute, Minghao tried to make sense of it. In any other situation, he would have assumed that Junhui's panic would mean a cover-up. Yet, in this situation, it looked as if, well... as if he'd had that sort of conversation before.

There were a thousand things that Minghao wanted to say about that, but he simply shut his mouth for a moment and considered that it probably wasn't helping Junhui's stress to think that he was suggesting malice. Although, that wasn't to say that what he _actually_ said was much better. "I just thought there was something between us. That's all. I started to get the sense that you had feelings for me but then I realised that when you took Seokmin to your room for that windowsill photoshoot, you actually ended up messing around with him. Is _he_ the reason why you're out so late."

Junhui stood up right away. "I'm not talking about this with you if you're just going to accuse me of things with no evidence." He turned to walk towards the door, but Minghao snorted.  
"I literally heard you both. People have told me that you've had a strained relationship with Soonyoung and Seokmin for a while. I just guessed that you'd finally made your decision and you're having an affair with him." It was a stretch; an assumption that he'd made on the spot, in hopes that Junhui would confess to what he'd been doing. As it was, it turned Junhui's face red and his breathing grew heavier as he stared in disbelief.

"That's _not_ what's been happening at all. You would know if you had bothered actually trying to speak to me outside of the bedroom. I've not been advertising it, but it's hardly been a secret either. And not _one_ of you has bothered to even talk to me about it." Minghao went to speak but Junhui shushed him immediately. "I've actually been in the hospital, having my appendix removed. And they treated me so well, despite the fact that they're incredibly busy trying to deal with seasonal flu and I'd caused a number of issues for them since I was taken in, after I'd ignored the pain and almost caused a rupture, passed out a number of times and refused to give them the studio's contact details in case it put too much stress on you all."

He lifted up his shirt to show that the area was still covered with a bandage. It could have only been two to three weeks since he'd had the surgery, Minghao figured, but he guessed that the pain had probably lasted for several days longer, knowing how Junhui was. For a second, they just made eye contact and Minghao could tell that the artist was upset with him, but he couldn't find the words to speak. And then, of course, Junhui continued and Minghao felt even worse. "I decided that since they were so good to me, I would offer to help them by painting the wards. These hospitals aren't well-funded and the staff are overworked, so I guessed it would be nice. I can't start painting it until my stitches dissolve, but I've spent the last week designing them and speaking to the management team about it."

Of course, Minghao felt awful right away. He knew his judgement had been poor and he'd made huge assumptions without even checking with Junhui first. And he'd been so unaware, wallowing in his annoyance that Junhui hadn't been talking to him, that he'd not even bothered to check up on him. So much for being in love with him, he supposed. That was probably more a sign that he didn't care as much as he said he did, despite his insistence that he had fallen hard for Junhui and was upset that the feelings weren't returned.

"I had so much love and respect for you, Minghao," Junhui finally said when he didn't respond. "I thought you were better than this, but you've just upset me. And I wasn't going to point out how hurt I was that you didn't bother to contact me, but you've just made it clear that whilst we have physical chemistry, our emotions aren't compatible. I'm disappointed." That was the end of the conversation - or argument, Minghao supposed - and Junhui made his way out of the room without another word. And by the next morning, Junhui had announced that he thought it would be better if he gave Minghao his final wage and helped him to move back into his parents' place. There was nothing he could do but accept it.

So there he was, with his phone held loosely in his hand as he took in the words that burnt through his heart, and the only thing he had left to do was pick himself up, pack up his belongings and leave as soon as possible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't remember anyone particularly asking for an update on things but for those who are interested, the closest diagnosed infection to me is literally just on the other side of the motorway outside my apartment. Which means we're on even heavier lockdown now.
> 
> The good news, though, is that we're working online now and it's going pretty well! I've been working on some really intensive skills development courses over the past few weeks too, so I feel that things are really looking up, despite the circumstances! I'm just hoping that we're all better soon!!
> 
> Love as always, Camel <3


	8. Chapter 8

The more Minghao thought about the conversation he'd had with Jun, the worse he felt. And the worse he felt, the more he wanted to do something about it. And the more he wanted to do something about it, the more he overthought things and ended up putting himself into positions where he felt worse than he did when he'd actually insulted the artist. Unfortunately for him, everyone else had taken the new rules very seriously and they were actively avoiding him inside the studio in order to prevent the awkwardness that would arise if they were having to ignore him. Which meant, ultimately, that he had no one to run through his ideas with once he'd come up with a plan on how to move forward, so each idea was dropped very quickly.

Minghao completely understood why they would do that, though. He wasn't judging them over that. It was his fault that they were in that position and they were at threat of losing their jobs if they were caught communicating with him whilst they were inside the studio. He was the one who had thrown them under the bus - and he didn't know whether they knew that he had done that or not, which had the potential to add another layer to the problem - and so he had no right to be telling them that they should go against Junhui's demands and talk to him. It was unfair to expect them to do that, especially those who had been there for a lot longer than he had.

But he'd heard wind of things, saying that, and he knew for a fact that it was said loud enough for him to be able to hear through his bedroom door because otherwise, at least one or two of them would've been able to exercise some level of volume control. Perhaps not Mingyu or Seokmin, he supposed, but Wonwoo and Soonyoung would definitely be showing a need for quiet if they thought that it wasn't a conversation that he needed to hear. After all, they'd all slept in Minghao's room before and they knew that it was the closest one to the main seating area, so he was bound to hear everything.

Most of the conversations were pretty tame, talking about how they didn't like the rules and that they knew they'd messed up by telling Minghao that Junhui had been sleeping with all of them. They hadn't meant it in a malicious way, they said, but they should have realised that it would've hit a nerve when it was clear that he and Junhui had been getting pretty close. "I don't think any of us realised how close they were getting, though," Soonyoung pointed out rather loudly. Minghao's heart skipped a beat as he heard two near-simultaneous snorts.  
"Oh, we _knew_ ," Wonwoo's voice rang out. "There's something about having someone who speaks your first language that brings you closer."  
"Besides," Mingyu's voice added, "It was hardly a secret that Junhui was inviting him back to his room almost every night."

Okay, the last comment made Minghao's body feel as if it had been set on fire. He hadn't really expected his friend to bring it up so openly, but he supposed that it was right. They _weren't_ really that subtle, and that meant that when things were starting to heat up, everyone knew what was going down between them. And when everything crashed and burnt, well...

Minghao continued to listen in on the conversations for a few days whilst he was packing his belongings into various boxes and bags. There weren't too many things so it was more a case of making sure that everything fit into as few carriers as possible. And having a chance to listen to everyone else outside his room. It gave him a feeling of dread in the pit of his stomach, knowing that he wasn't included so directly, but also a strange sense of happiness that they were thinking about him and trying to involve him at least a bit. For a few days, that was his source of company, until he finally received a text from Soonyoung after five days.

"Hey, we've been thinking and we want you to come out with us tonight, all of us except for Jun. He doesn't know that we've invited you, he doesn't know where we're going, and he wouldn't really expect me to message you out of all of us, which is why we're using my phone. Reply if you DON'T want to come out, otherwise we'll meet you across the street at six."

Minghao noted how it avoided making it obvious that it was addressed to him specifically, and had made a point of specifying that he should only reply to reject them. He supposed that it was out of fear that Junhui had the power to track texts and calls, and that their messages were going to be deleted or something once they'd made the arrangement. Admittedly, he felt that it was a bit over-the-top to worry about their texts being tracked, but he supposed that when their jobs were in the line, they were pretty nervous about the whole thing. It had the potential to stop them from getting other modelling jobs, Minghao figured, so it was probably for the best that they were being safe about it. But saying that, there were some serious issues if it turned out that Junhui _was_ tracking their messages in some way. Even if he was the person who paid their phone bills.

Admittedly, though, he was just happy to receive a message from one of them. He knew that he would be able to talk to them again when he'd left the studio, but that week felt like the longest week of his entire life. He could have left much earlier but there was a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach that highlighted his independence when he was living there, and the fact that that would be all but stripped away when he moved back in with his parents. And sure, it wasn't nice having everyone tiptoeing around him, but he guessed that it was better than being alone and dragging them all down with him. So he decided he'd go along and spend some time chatting with them outside of the studio, and they would have a great evening before he began to move his things out the following day. In two days, he would be gone and that would be that.

The rest of his day had been spent doing very little. He came out of his room to make a sandwich, then went straight back in there to eat it. He'd spent some time playing nonogram games on his phone, just to waste the time away, and then he'd slowly changed into something more suitable - yet nothing too fancy - for the evening before heading out. He'd gone right across the road to the local coffee shop and bought himself something to drink, then he waited for longer than he would care to admit for the other models to arrive.

They all arrived together and were quick to whisk him away in a six-seat taxi without saying much at all until the door was closed. And when that happened, they all breathed a sigh of relief before turning to him. "This has been the worst week we've had in the studio since we've arrived, I swear," Seokmin announced as he shot Minghao an apologetic glance. "We've really missed seeing you and it sucks ass to have to avoid you, you know."  
"I don't think Jun really thought this through logically," Wonwoo added. "I know he's had a rough time with all of this, but he needs to understand that we do talk to each other about the things that are going on behind closed doors and that if he doesn't want it getting out, he shouldn't be doing it in the first place." It took Minghao a moment to process the various voices that were coming at him from all directions in such a big vehicle, and he suddenly felt overwhelmed by everything that they were throwing at him.

"Wait, wait, wait. What did he tell you about it?" he asked as soon as there was a moment to wedge himself back into the conversation. For a second, no one spoke as they seemingly tried to switch themselves from flustered ranting mode to storytelling mode, then it all came out. As with the first part of the conversation, it was spread around the taxi with different people adding little bits here and there. They told him that the artist had yelled at them over announcing his various affairs within the group and that he didn't care which of them had told him because they were all just as bad as each other. He said that it had led to big assumptions and had 'royally fucked up' their relationship. He had been planning on going on a date with Minghao, had things worked out well between them that month, and he was really hoping that he could have made things right. And yet, everything had crumbled because they'd made him feel inferior and it had led to a huge argument.

Minghao didn't really think that it was his place to tell them about that argument, considering the personal topics it had touched on, but then again, he also felt that it was only right for them to know that had been brought up. If Junhui was going to be upset with them all anyway, over-sharing things that were supposed to be secret but were always going to get out, he figured that they might as well all get on the same page so that they knew what sort of things were going to bring up sour feelings later on down the line. So he ended up explaining the issues with Junhui's health and his charity work and the fact that he'd utterly offended the artist by suggesting that he was screwing someone else entirely because he would never bring Samuel back to the studio and would always expect others to do it. At that point, Seokmin cursed under his breath and pointed out that they had forgotten to invite Samuel. Mingyu quickly pointed out that it was a bad idea to do so, seeing as he would probably feel as if he was to blame for it, and so the topic quickly switched back to the situation at hand.

"Do you still want to work with us?" Soonyoung asked, prompting all eyes to turn to Minghao. It felt rather awkward to have to talk about that sort of thing with them all looking at him, but yet he couldn't even bring himself to _feel_ awkward because they all knew _exactly_ how he felt about the situation. Of course, he wanted to continue working with them. It was his dream to be a model, and Junhui's work had drawn him down the rabbit hole and into a world where he couldn't imagine doing anything else with his life. The other models had given him a warm welcome and had left him feeling as if he was genuinely a part of something, and he actually felt as if he was good at what he did. And whilst he was going to miss Junhui an awful lot, he knew that he was going to miss the other models more than he could even put into words. They were his closest friends.

It was an emotional few minutes surrounding his confession. There was a sense of sadness that there was nothing they could do - as his colleagues and friends - to help the situation, but also a warmth that came alongside him admitting that they were that important to him. For a while, no one really spoke and so he was left alone with his thoughts as he tried to figure out why they had suddenly gone so quiet, and then they arrived at their destination and various notes were tossed at the driver before they'd all clambered out and made their way towards the bar.

It wasn't really the sort of place that Minghao expected, but that probably made it easier to hide their antics. After all, it was clear that they were all nervous about the situation and didn't really want to make it worse by having someone who knew Junhui tell the artist that they had all gone out together with the person who was explicitly not allowed to join in.

They went in and ordered drinks right away. There were way too many for the table, Minghao decided, but he was sure that they would be finished in five minutes flat anyway. After all, they were all in a state of heightened anxiety, which made for the perfect mix of heavy drinking and flustered conversation. And that was exactly how it had ended up going. They sat chatting about the next steps and guzzling down drinks at an alarming speed. Minghao watched as they cleared the table incredibly fast, and he was amazed at the way that they immediately cleared the table and went up for the next round.

"We've been thinking about this whole thing for a few days now, and we don't really think it's fair on you that Junhui is taking it this badly," Seokmin announced as they were drinking. "So we think that maybe he was just feeling really emotional that day - a reason, not an excuse, mind you - and so he's probably had time to come down from that. So you should probably talk to him."  
"But then again, you need to be mindful about how you talk to him because it has the potential to blow back up in your face if you start accusing him or being too harsh. He's a bit of a sensitive guy, you know, so he doesn't always take things well," Soonyoung added. It was only at that point that they actually asked him _how_ Junhui had spoken to him during the argument, and Minghao hadn't really considered it that much before until they'd mentioned it.

He was quiet, he said. Quieter than someone would expect for a guy who was that angry with him. It earnt a few winces around the table, and Minghao knew right away that they knew that side of Junhui. It was confirmed right away by Wonwoo. "I'm sorry to tell you this, but that calm rage isn't really a good sign," he said, "It tells me that he's incredibly pissed off and it got to that point where he couldn't even bring himself to raise his voice. I've only seen that on a handful of occasions, but it's something that I'd personally like to avoid for the rest of my life if I could. It gets pretty scary." Apparently, he'd not been quite that angry when he was talking to the other models about what they'd said to him, and knowing that only made Minghao's heart sink further into his chest. As much as he didn't want to wish it on the other models, he'd hoped that they would have seen the same level of anger from him. Instead, they had all seen shouting anger, which was a notch below what Minghao had faced. It was lace with hurt, rather than disappointment, and that had been bad enough.

Perhaps the plan to talk to him wasn't a great idea now, they figured. After all, if Junhui was that angry, there was no reason why they should heat things up even more by pushing him to have a chat that he probably didn't want. It was going to take a lot longer than five days for him to recover from that sort of blow. And that time was absolutely crucial for giving him time to reflect on it and calm down, so it was probably best to scrap what they'd been talking about as if it was completely irrelevant.

But what was Minghao going to do? None of them really seemed to have a solid idea for the way forward after that little bit of extra information had come out. It was key for the success of his case, and yet it was something that was going to end up blowing things out of the water. Instead, they suggested that Minghao give it a while longer - perhaps a month or two - and then try to reach out to the artist. There was always a chance that he would be allowed back into the studio if they managed to patch things up, or perhaps Junhui would recommend him to another artist instead. It wasn't a given, of course, but there was a much better chance of things working out if he was going to take it slowly like that.

Then again, Minghao didn't really know whether he liked that idea.

The thought of having to wait so long like that, only to risk not being able to get his job back, crushed his soul. And besides, he knew full well that if Junhui had been that angry at him, he wasn't going to trust him again like he had. It was something that he'd felt before and he couldn't help but distrust people after they'd made him that upset, and he was very conscious of the elements of personality overlap between him and Junhui. That would have the power to break their professional relationship as badly as their personal one, he decided. "So maybe I shouldn't come back after all," he said simply. It earned a few sad objections from the other models, but they knew that it was probably for the best, given that he'd screwed up that badly. He'd hurt Junhui's feeling massively and that was something that he couldn't reverse. It was all on him, and now he had to live with the consequences of his actions.

"It's fine," Minghao said quietly. "It's not saying that I can't be friends with you all still after this. Junhui said you should add my number if you wanted to stay in contact and I guess you all have. Once it's blown over, I don't think he'll have a problem with the situation." Then he excused himself to the bathroom and spent a few minutes crying silently to himself in one of the cubicles, before cleaning up his face again. It was a weird sort of feeling. He hadn't really cried that much over the incident itself, but knowing that he'd really upset Junhui in that way had such a strange impact on him that he couldn't help it. He'd felt it coming and had to take a moment to let it all out so that he could continue with his night without feeling too bad for himself, and so he'd gone back to the table as if nothing had happened and only really earnt a second glance from Wonwoo, who followed it up by grabbing his hand under the table.

The topic changed to more positive topics for a short while, like the fact that Soonyoung and Seokmin had passed their recent assignments and an official announcement that Mingyu and Wonwoo were dating - as per Minghao's request that they finally come out and say it - and then they'd decided to head back to their various apartments. The positivity had simply been a way of taking the edge off the evening, frankly, but that was as far as it went. Minghao was happy that his friends were having a better time than he was having, but he couldn't help but feel sad knowing that they _had_ to come up with some nice things to stop his situation from leaving everyone feeling disappointed in the evening's outcomes.

The journey back had been quiet - even more than he would usually expect when they were all tipsy - and Minghao didn't really know whether it was down to exhaustion or the bittersweet evening. He had been glad that everyone wanted to help him, but then it had ended up leaving him with a heavy heart and a stomach ache. Those feelings of appreciation still lingered in the background, of course, but they were there to a much lesser extent than they had been when everyone was trying to come up with a solution to the problems.

When they reached the university, the conversation still hadn't really picked up, although Soonyoung and Seokmin simply sat in silence for a moment, as if they didn't realise that it was their stop. Then they'd let out the breath that they'd been holding for what seemed like forever, before going around the group to say their goodbyes. When they reached Minghao best wishes were offered up, but they'd not made any solid claims about his future in the studio. Then they'd clambered out and began walking.

"We'll see you later," Mingyu called out of the window as they turned back one last time to say goodbye. Then the taxi continued towards the studio and only then did it really set in what they were actually doing.  
"Wait," Minghao breathed as he realised. "We're all going back together this late at night. Don't you think it's going to cause problems or something?" They considered it. For a moment, the three of them simply exchanged glances, having not really thought about the implications of their actions, and that Junhui would probably be suspicious if all of them were out until that hour when they knew full well that they weren't supposed to be actively interacting with each other.  
"Well, we'll deal with that situation if it arises. We'll just be quiet as we go in there," Wonwoo finally said, and that was that. It was all they really _could_ do. They knew that Junhui was going to be home by that point but they could only hope that he was going to be in bed.

The conversation died again for the rest of the journey, and Minghao could feel his heart in his throat as they got out of the taxi and made their way towards the studio. Wonwoo fumbled with his keys to get the door open and then they slowly made their way up the stairs and toed off their shoes at the top of the stairs. Then they had started towards the main room, only to find that Junhui was sitting on a chair in the dark, right in the centre of the room, staring directly at them. Minghao's heart skipped a beat, especially when his friends froze up instead of continuing to their bedrooms.

"Jun," Mingyu started, but the artist shook his head.  
"We'll talk about this in the morning. Go to bed."  
"But we--"  
"Go to bed." There was no room for argument there. His voice was threateningly low, daring them to keep arguing with him. Mingyu and Wonwoo continued towards their room, and then Minghao began to walk towards his own, only to hear Junhui's voice cutting through the darkness again. This time, he spoke in Chinese, which sent a shiver running up Minghao's spine.  
"Not you, Minghao. We're going to go to the roof to have a chat."

Those words alone came with a kick and left Minghao's chest feeling tight. He didn't really know what else to do, so he simply gave a nod and waited for Junhui to get up from the chair and start in the direction of the roof, and then he followed a few steps behind in complete silence.


	9. Chapter 9

The first few minutes on the roof were spent in silence, other than the sound of Junhui's thumb igniting his lighter and the sizzling of end of his cigarette. Minghao stared at him as he took two or three drags, then spoke up. "You started smoking," he pointed out, as if he hadn't already found out from Samuel. Junhui's eyes flickered towards him, then he exhaled one more time.  
"Yeah."  
"When did you start?"  
"When Sam first started working here."  
"Why?"  
"Stressed."

And then the silence returned.

Minghao couldn't help but feel confused by that. He had been taken up to the roof for a discussion, with Junhui seeming confident and angry the whole time, but all of that had completely trickled away as soon as they were stood there together. And so, it seemed, the tension had been for nothing and Junhui had just wanted to see him tense on the way up there. He had expected something more - some shouting or spitting, maybe a fight. But instead, the artist was gripping the rail so hard that his knuckles were turning white. It contrasted the relaxed fingers that balanced the cigarette and the mostly neutral expression on his face, other than the remaining tension that was knotted between his eyebrows and across his jaw. Minghao supposed that the cigarette was coming as an attempt to control his emotions so that he didn't blow up over everything he was clearly feeling, but he couldn't be sure. Perhaps he had just misinterpreted the whole scene down in the main room. Perhaps it was a fever dream and hadn't actually happened at all.

Yet, he couldn't find the words to question it. He knew that something was seriously wrong but he couldn't quite say what he wanted to say without feeling as if he was going to dig himself deeper into the hole that he was already in. And that was the last thing he needed when he'd somehow managed to survive around five minutes on the roof without Junhui screaming in his face. So instead, he watched Junhui smoking until he was down to the stub, which he crushed under his shoe. 

"Your friends must really love you," Junhui finally said. His tone made it sound as if it was simply an icebreaker, although his expression was starting to shift. It framed the hurt that he was clearly feeling, mixed with very obvious attempts at minding his face. As it was, Junhui wasn't particularly skilled in that area and Minghao felt his heart sinking further down into his stomach as he heard the comment. "They risked their jobs to go out with you tonight. You know, it makes me feel that little bit more alone, knowing that they don't like me anywhere near as much as they love you. Knowing that they would rather I fire them than them not have a chance to talk to you for just one week. And even though you hurt me, I'm still the bad guy here."

He reached for another cigarette and lit it before Minghao had the chance to speak again. It felt as if the chance had been lost as soon as he did so. As it was, the cigarette was almost _certainly_ the crutch that would stop Junhui losing it. A mood regulator, in a sense. Minghao couldn't help but feel awful about the fact that he felt that way about the whole situation, despite their disagreements and arguments that week. He didn't quite feel that it was accurate to say that they didn't love Junhui too, but he could understand why the artist would feel that way upon seeing all of the evidence that they had given him. Their attempts at including him in their conversations, the way they hid their plans to go out together, and the way that they had hardly spoken to him for the week. It was sad.

"I'm sorry that I made you feel like this," he finally said. Junhui shot him a pitiful look, then rolled his eyes.  
"I just don't understand what I've done wrong. I've always tried to get on with you all, but I'm the only one who never gets invited or gets checked on or is really seen as a part of the family." Again, it was awkward. There was no excuse that Minghao could give. He simply chose not to answer that time, figuring that perhaps Junhui simply wanted to vent it all out. And apparently, he was right. The artist proceeded to point out how they'd not asked him about his day in over a month, how they would make jokes at his expense, and how it was a running inside joke that he had certain fetishes that he wouldn't mind being fulfilled by other members of the group. And it felt uncomfortable. He wasn't the person he wanted to be - who would be an active part of the household and would become close with all of the models. He felt as if he was there just to give them their money and then leave. Like a sugar daddy, of sorts. Except a sugar daddy got things in return and all he got was the business end.

Another cigarette down. He lit up another without hesitation. This time, Minghao could see his fingers trembling slightly as he held it. "I don't think they mean to treat you like that," he offered, making sure to keep his voice gentle. "I think they forget because you're often busy. It means that we have more time to bond since only one of us is with you at a time whilst the rest of us are together."  
"Even if they don't, it's not nice. Is it?" Junhui's tone was almost scornful, although it was clear that he was trying to watch out for that too. He caught his own tone very quickly and apologised for the way that he spoke to Minghao, but Minghao simply shook his head and insisted that it was called for. After all, he was offering advice from a place of privilege. He knew that the other models liked him a lot and that they were all very close friends. He knew that he could rely on any one of them to be there for him. And yet, Junhui couldn't quite share that, from what he could tell. He was a part of the group but in a completely different way, and he was really feeling that isolation.

Again, silence fell but this time, it felt a little less tense. Junhui's hand gripped the rail a little looser, and then he finally let go. With a sigh, he sat down on the floor, still facing the city before them, and rolled the cigarette between his fingers. Minghao gradually lowered himself to join the artist, not wanting to look as if he was actively trying to copy his behaviour or anything, but it seemed as if it was appreciated. Only then did he begin puffing on his cigarette again, until it was finished and he crushed it under the box. He toyed with the idea of taking a fourth one by flicking open the lid, but soon closed it again with a sigh.

"I'm thinking of getting rid of this place," he finally said. "I was going to talk to you about it, but you weren't here. You seem grounded enough to help me see what the best plan is but then again, I think I've made up my mind now." Alarm bells started ringing in Minghao's head.  
"What? Why would you do that? You love this place." Junhui's expression stiffened, then he began to fumble with the cigarette box as he tried to wrestle out another cigarette. Minghao immediately snatched it away and clutched it tightly in his fist as he stared the artist down. He received only one little cry of protest before Junhui settled again, although it was clear that he was a little irked by the decision to control the habit on his behalf. His eyes began to flicker between Minghao's face and the box, but Minghao made it very clear right away that he wasn't going to give them back without a fight. And so Junhui reluctantly gave his answer.

"I don't feel like this is working out. This whole thing where I live in Korea."  
"Why not? You've been doing well, you have regular customers, and you're making bank. You've built this place up from the ground and it's admirable. I... I really respect what you've done with the place." Junhui sighed and ran a hand over his face. His eyes flickered back to the box again.  
"I'll be honest with you. This week has put it into perspective for me. I'm unwanted. I make art because I'm unwanted and I want someone to want me. And that's not going to happen. The other models have each other, there's nothing between you and I, and no one really wants a relationship with a guy who works long hours every day. So I'm going to quit and move back to my hometown. There's a big art area called OCT Loft around forty minutes away from my parents' place, and I'm pretty sure that if I really wanted to continue making art, I could get a warehouse there. I'd probably be happier."

It was ridiculous. Quitting over something like that. Assumptions and self-depreciation, mixed with a low blow as he referenced the state of their relationship. Minghao could feel heat spreading to his ears as he listened to Junhui's explanation. It wasn't the sort of thing that he wanted to hear, nor did he think that it was a realistic approach to the fact that he had a week of feeling rejected. "How long have you been considering this, then?" he demanded. Junhui shrugged.  
"I only started thinking about it properly tonight. I can't put a time stamp on it right now because I can't remember when it all started. But probably a while."

There was something else to it and Minghao could tell. Something fueling whatever he was going through. If he'd been experiencing it for a while, Minghao was sure that it would have manifested in some ways. He wouldn't really be spending his time working hard on murals and decorations for the hospital. He wouldn't be buying pieces of furniture for the studio as he went along. He wouldn't have helped to decorate Minghao's room so beautifully, and he probably wouldn't have spent so much time reorganising the rooms where they modelled so that they would have more space and some room for extra props. He could feel the frustration building in the pit of his stomach as he tried to figure out exactly what the artist's problem was, but he really couldn't place it. Something was just really off about his attitude, for some reason. It was something that he'd never seen from Junhui before - a sort of sadness that he would distance himself from when they spoke in the past, but one that he really wouldn't expect to come out when Junhui said that he was still upset with him.

It remained a mystery until Junhui coughed and Minghao was not only hit with the smell of cigarettes but also the distinct smell of liquor.

"Have you been drinking?" he demanded. Junhui grew defensive right away.  
" _You've_ been drinking. You went out tonight, remember?"  
"I can smell it on your breath, Junhui."  
"That's _your_ breath you're smelling."  
"You just _coughed_ in my _face_."

He couldn't really argue with that. He considered it, of course, but that was all. His mouth opened and closed a few times, and then he settled on a scowl as he realised that he couldn't really get out of it. And Minghao just sighed. "I'm not judging you. I'm just worried." Like his parent or something. Junhui seemed to get that sense too, as his scowl quickly turned into a grimace.  
"What does it matter anyway? I made up my mind before I came looking for you, and I only started drinking after I realised that you'd all gone out without me." Minghao huffed, choosing to ignore the last point as soon as he heard it.  
"Don't make stupid decisions like this and then drink. It makes it worse. You don't seem _drunk_ , as such, but it doesn't mean it's not going to alter your perceptions of things."

It led to a short scrap, in which Junhui insisted that he'd been thinking about it logically and had decided that it was for the best, but Minghao was very clear about the fact that it would lead to further issues when he'd had time to think it through properly later on down the line. Perhaps he would wake up in the morning and decide that it was a bad idea to sell the studio and move home, but the thought would still be in the back of his mind. "I'm already making my plans, I'll have you know. What place do you have to stop me from doing what I want to do?"  
"You _said_ you were on your way to talk to me about it. And I'm telling you this as a way of helping you to see sense. It's a bad decision and it's not going to help anyone. You're not going to feel more wanted this way."

Junhui didn't want to hear it. He reached forward to snatch his cigarette box back, but Minghao simply crushed it hard in his fist whilst maintaining eye contact. Junhui's eye twitched with irritation, but he didn't dare to speak up about it. "Junhui, you might feel unwanted here, but do you think that'll get better in your hometown? What do you think will happen? Everyone will realise that you came from the place and suddenly embrace you into the community? These artists spend their lives creating and building their showrooms so they're not going to be there to show you warmth and invite you in for coffee."  
"And how do you know that?"  
"I spent my time looking around these art warehouses whenever I travelled. M50 in Shanghai. 798 in Beijing. I've been to the big cities, and I've tried to find them in smaller cities too. Those artists aren't playing around and you know it."

Surprisingly, Junhui sighed and nodded. "I know, but at least I'd be prepared for it there. I'd know what to expect, rather than having a studio full of models who hate me." This time, it was Minghao's turn to look pitiful.  
"We don't hate you. None of us hates you. I think we're all a bit disappointed that things have escalated like this and you didn't tell us how you were feeling, but we don't hate you at all. Surely, you understand that?" The scowl returned, although it quickly faded into an expression that could only really be described as, well, _sad_. Nothing extreme, nothing angry, nothing too emotional. Just sad. It left Minghao's heart aching as he watched Junhui's expression rest there for a moment, and then the artist nodded - a sign of defeat and acceptance.

"Do you think I'm overreacting about this whole thing, then? Selling the place? Losing my shit with everyone over their attitudes? Kicking you out because we had one fight?"  
"I do, yeah," Minghao admitted. "I think your feelings are justified, but it went too far too quickly. And..." He paused to take a deep breath, then dared to reach his spare hand over to touch Junhui's shoulder. Junhui jolted upon feeling the contact but calmed back down pretty quickly. "And I do want you to know that I'm really sorry for making such big assumptions a few days ago. I've just been really sensitive about things, and I think that everyone telling me about their relationships with you hit home a bit too hard. You know, I don't think I've said it out loud to you before, but I have feelings for you and it's hard to see someone you like with other people."

The confession that he needed to get out there. The big moment. Minghao was suddenly very conscious of his heartbeat as soon as the words were out there. His body was ready to respond with a fight if needed, and he could feel his adrenaline starting to increase. It wasn't really the best time to confess his feelings, but it had to be done to show Junhui that his perception wasn't quite right. And yet, almost disappointingly, the confession itself remained unaddressed.

"Minghao." The way he said it was sweet, just as it had been weeks beforehand when they found themselves tumbling into bed together. It was laced with caramel and spun to form beautiful shapes on his lips. It sounded like the gentle kiss from a butterfly; fingers slowly intertwining; the breath of morning warmth in the early morning. The name sounded right coming from Junhui's mouth with such an air of delicacy that Minghao hadn't heard for at least a month. Something that was familiar but distant; the feeling of a lover coming home after a lengthy separation. Junhui was back as Minghao had known him, albeit somewhat wearier than he was used to, and that level of sweetness was what they both needed. It was a sign that perhaps, things might be okay. 

"I'm not sure if I can forgive you fully. I can't promise that at all," he admitted. "I'm still really upset about the way you treated me and the fact that you said such cold things, but I don't think want you to leave. That bit was definitely an overreaction, I think. If you've packed your things up, I want you to unpack them. Until I sell this place, you can stay." The last part left a sour taste in Minghao's mouth, as it suggested that it was still on the table. However, he figured he could look past it in favour of the positive side. He was still allowed to stay, he assumed that he was okay to spend time with the other models again, and it looked as if things were going to get better. Of course, he couldn't guarantee it and he guessed there was a chance that Junhui would wake up and change his mind, but for now, they were out of the woods. And it felt so much better.

Admittedly, the whole conversation had been pretty awkward, though, and it continued in that way for at least an hour or two longer. Junhui had insisted that he wanted to talk some more about things that had been going on for him that week, the fact that his nurse kept grilling him because he'd been told not to drink or smoke after his surgery and he'd done exactly that, and the way that his stress had led to increased cortisol levels. He'd been toying with the idea of asking Minghao to stay for a few days, since he'd realised that he'd been overreacting about it all pretty quickly, but then he'd seen how the other models were with him and it had been upsetting to hear them ignoring his requests to not interact with him, so he'd gone back on his decision. It wasn't Minghao's fault that time, but he was essentially an accessory to their behaviour and so he was going to receive a sort of punishment for it.

They continued to chat until it was light outside and Junhui decided that it was best for them to start heading to bed. After all, he had to talk to Mingyu and Wonwoo when they were awake, since he wasn't too happy about the fact that they blatantly went out of their way in spite of everything he'd asked of them. He was planning on grilling them and the other two for a while so that they were worried about their own security as a part of the studio before finally revealing the decision for Minghao to stay. Just to show them that he was serious - not to cause any fear or lack of trust. Not that they really needed any more of that anyway, but it was something that he was conscious about, nonetheless.

At that point, they stood up and started on their way towards their rooms. And when they reached the main room, right between the two doors, they hesitated. Junhui stared at Minghao as if he was going to kiss him, but then quickly clapped his hands down on his shoulders instead. "Have a good night," he said, then promptly entered his own room and locked the door behind him.

And Minghao's heart sank a little.

He'd hoped that he would have at least received a hug. Failing that, he could have received a kiss on the cheek. He didn't expect to end up with Junhui's tongue down his throat, of course, but he expected a little more than that considering that they'd just made up after such a drawn-out argument. And sure, it wasn't really realistic to expect it when they weren't dating and Junhui made it clear that he didn't trust him completely, but it didn't mean that Minghao wasn't hopeful. So he turned around in silence and entered his own room, tossed his clothes in a pile on the floor and climbed into bed, with the intention of sleeping until his body felt ready to wake up again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've seen that a few of you guys have sent me messages about the current situation regarding the virus - sorry I haven't gotten back, I now need a VPN to access this site so it's been crashing a lot, but now I know so I'll try to reply in the morning!!
> 
> As a general update on that, our city is no longer on lockdown, which is good, but I really feel for the other places that are starting to hit an emergency state. Having been in a whole community lockdown since January 25th, with restrictions only now being lifted on leaving the house for groceries or work, I can imagine it's a lot to have to deal with. Especially as the media in other countries (I'm looking at the UK in particular) is only adding to the panic.
> 
> As it is, there are currently over 40,000 recoveries, so I'm hoping that things will get better soon! If any of you need to talk, please let me know and I'll be here with anecdotes and words of support!
> 
> Take care <3 Camel


	10. Chapter 10

"Wen Junhui is a complete and utter prick and you deserve better than him, Minghao."

Considering that Minghao had received a number of similar messages by text, he figured that it didn't go so well when the artist went to scold the other models. He couldn't really imagine that it would have been taken lightly in the first place, but that just about proved it. He'd had words with them all individually and informed them that the consequences would be severe if they pre-warned any of the others about what was about to come, and that had led to more issues than it was worth. After all, they weren't happy with the additional threat, nor the fact that the others were aware but couldn't warn them in advance, but there was nothing they could really do about it in the moment. By the time they'd had a chance to consider the appropriate response, Junhui was already talking to the next person about it.

And so, Minghao was left having to deal with the reactions. The first was from Wonwoo, who was rightfully upset as he pointed out how he'd immediately jumped to everyone's defence and insisted that he was the one to suggest the night out in the first place. He said that he would leave peacefully so long as Junhui didn't cause any issues for the other models and allowed them all to keep their jobs. Naturally, he felt hurt when Junhui announced that he was keeping them all and that it was being brushed under the rug - after he'd been so serious about everything leading up to that point - and so he'd called Minghao right away to discuss it. He'd felt as if it was a huge build-up for nothing and that Junhui had simply wanted to get a response out of him. Unfortunately, the plan had worked and that had led to some sour feelings.

Similar events took place after Mingyu's chat, although he seemed a lot calmer about it. His texts were harsh but didn't seem to be too hateful. He'd admitted that he should have stuck up for everyone more but he didn't really want to damage Junhui's perception of him. They were actually really good friends, other than when the artist pulled that sort of thing and upset almost everyone in the studio, but it was a lot harder to fix Junhui's feelings than it was to fix his own. The last thing that Mingyu really wanted to do was regret what he said to his friend a few days later once everything had blown over.

The same couldn't be said for Soonyoung and Seokmin's responses, though.

They were furious. They made that very clear right away. They sent an incredible number of messages to a chat that excluded Junhui and Samuel, and each one was a hard blow to Junhui. Had he heard some of their comments, he would have likely terminated their contracts on the spot, despite the fact that his anger at them had diffused. Saying that, however, some things must have been said in person too, as Junhui immediately went to his room when he arrived back at the studio, and he made sure to lock the door after himself. He only ever did that when he really didn't want to see anyone, and that left Minghao feeling rather concerned. He refrained from pushing it and generally tried to ignore the messages unless they were directed towards him specifically. He also made sure to listen out for Junhui moving around his room so that he could get a sense of whether he was needed to help or not, and he was quick to offer to cook for Junhui when he'd realised how late it was starting to get.

The good news was that Mingyu and Wonwoo didn't hold it against him that he was trying to make things better. They were still upset with Junhui but they knew that it wasn't really Minghao's fault. He was on edge after the threats to his job and his friends' jobs, and he wanted to make everything right again. That wasn't even _considering_ the problems that it had caused for his relationship with the artist too, and although they had yet to discuss it properly, Minghao knew that they were already aware of the implications of the discussion that they'd had.

So he got on with it. He did what he could to make Junhui happy and remained as sensitive to his needs and feelings as possible. And Junhui rewarded him with some private time together. They still made minimal physical contact, but he quickly became the only model that Junhui invited to spend personal time with him whilst everything was tense between them all.

And then, after a few days, Junhui confessed it. "I've lost my spark," he said softly as he stared at the camera on his bed. "I don't want to make art right now. I'm seriously considering getting rid of the place. I wasn't joking about that. And I think it's just getting worse."  
"You think that spark is gonna come back if you leave?" Minghao demanded. He didn't mean to appear so harsh about it, but it certainly caught Junhui's attention.  
"At least I wouldn't have to deal with how everyone took our discussions." Minghao couldn't help but sigh in response. It was a sigh of irritation before anything else. Junhui dared to question it.  
"Come on, you can't seriously be suggesting this right now. You can't be telling me that you didn't consider this sort of response. You went in there and threatened to take away their jobs for speaking to me, then finished up by telling them that actually, you'd changed your mind and everything was fine. Now you're playing the victim. And don't tell me you're not because you _are_. What did you expect?"

It was probably the first time he'd been that firm about his opinion, even more than how he had been when they were on the roof together. Junhui didn't look happy at all. "Well, what do you want me to do about it? Apologise to them all? They all knew how I felt about them going behind my back." That was _exactly_ what Minghao expected, actually. He insisted on it. Junhui needed to realise that things weren't just going to work out fine by some miracle if he was going to make people hurt. They were grown adults being made to feel as if they were his children or something, and they certainly weren't going to sit around and be put down like that when they had some say about it. Jobs weren't worth that much and they all knew it. They could always quit and find somewhere better, and they all had more than enough savings to give them those luxuries.

So, off he went. He was reluctant, frankly, but at least he was doing as he was asked to do without questioning Minghao much more. And sure, he wasn't ever going to be okay about having to admit his faults to them, but that didn't mean much to Minghao at all. Life wasn't fair and Junhui had to figure out how to fix his own problems like an adult, even if that meant that he had to do things he didn't like.

He was the only person Minghao knew who could mess something like that up so severely that it caused more problems than it solved. Yes, he'd come back looking sheepish and immediately went up to the roof with a new carton of cigarettes, and he was pretty damn reluctant to explain to Minghao what had stressed him out so much that he was responding in such a way. It took a lot of coaxing and pushing for Junhui to finally admit it. To be honest, Minghao wished he hadn't asked in the first place, even though he could see the look of pure embarrassment on Junhui's face as he confessed his sins like that. Another bit of the trust he'd had for the artist chipped away as if that trust meant absolutely nothing at all.

"I went to apologise to Seokmin and we ended up in bed together." That was where he left it. Minghao felt his heart shatter into a thousand pieces right there and then. He had expected more - perhaps even expected _better_ \- but the truth of the matter was that it was too much to want that from someone who wasn't committed to him. But to blow up over it was to make it about himself and his own feelings when that wasn't what Junhui needed to hear. It took longer than he'd hoped to reply and the words came out dry and emotionless, but at least he replied in the first place.  
"Isn't that a good thing, though? It probably means that he's forgiven you already." Junhui caught wind of his emotions right away and spent a few seconds studying his expression.  
"Minghao I'm sorry," he breathed, letting his arms hang by his sides. "I didn't mean to--"

Minghao rejected the apology without addressing it and repeated his question. The artist shook his head, letting his eyes drift to the ground out of pure shame. "He left the studio. And I know for a fact when Soonyoung finds out, he's going to leave too. It wasn't a problem that we needed right now, but it's a problem I'm going to have to handle."  
"Do you think you can sort things out with him?" Minghao suggested. Junhui shook his head and explained that it had been pity sex. He'd accepted the apology, of course, which was how they'd ended up sleeping together, but he had pointed out afterwards that his trust had been shattered by the series of events leading up to that point, and so he wasn't planning on continuing as a model.

It sounded well-considered, Junhui had explained, making it seem as if he'd been thinking about it for some time already. Perhaps this had just been the final straw that ended everything. It certainly wasn't the sort of thing that he'd be taking back any time soon and none of the other models would be able to convince him otherwise, either.

For now, though, they would just have to ignore the situation until Soonyoung finally piped up about the series of events that had gone down between Junhui and Seokmin. So they did. Minghao chose not to talk about it again and life went on. The only obvious difference was that Junhui was actively making an effort to make things up to him. He'd gone out of his way to make Minghao breakfast and dinner on a few occasions, their interactions had grown to be a lot more delicate, and then he'd dared to kiss Minghao on the lips one day. It had come as a huge surprise but it wasn't unwelcome. It hadn't progressed much further, other than the kiss being returned with a little extra force, but that had been a starting point, Minghao figured. It suggested that the artist was getting to be a little bit more serious about his feelings - although, it was also quite representative of his guilt too.

Those attempts at making Minghao feel better continued as Junhui began trying to push himself to make more art, too. He'd announced one day that he wanted Minghao to go to his room so that he would be able to do a photoshoot with him, and Minghao had accepted right away. He'd made his way through to the room to find that it was set up exactly as he'd remembered it the last time he'd slept in Junhui's bedroom, with certain items of clothing slung over the chair in the corner of the room, one closet door open, and the same bedsheets. He had a sense that Junhui had remembered the details, as the room didn't quite look like that when he'd been dropping off food or chatting with the artist. Frankly, he was impressed.

"I want to recreate the last time we were in bed together," Junhui announced. "I've been thinking about it quite a bit because I remember how you looked so great and it took my breath away." Minghao swallowed.  
"Do you actually want to, you know, take it that far?" he asked. Junhui shook his head.  
"Just for art."  
"Alright, just for art," he echoed before making his way straight over to the bed. Junhui met him over there and carefully strapped the camera to his chest. It was done in a way that stopped it from hitting Minghao in the face when he pressed him down against the bed and whilst it was a little difficult to kiss each other when there was a massive camera in the way, it wasn't half as hard as Minghao expected.

It was as if they were made for each other. Wen Junhui and Xu Minghao. Fitting perfectly together, like coins into a slot machine. Minghao's thighs had parted and Junhui was between them right away as his hands began to sneak up Minghao's shirt. It was removed with neither a sense of desperation nor grace - the fabric got caught around his right elbow and then his ears and it had led to some laughing as they'd come back together afterwards. Then Junhui's lips moved to his neck and began to claim it for his own. Each kiss was greedy and possessive and Minghao loved it. He closed his eyes and simply felt it, taking in the sensation of having Junhui's tongue on his skin and his teeth leaving marks. One hand moved down to gently scratch at his chest. For a moment, Minghao considered how much he'd missed that feeling, though the sense of arousal and desire stayed with him as the artist moved back to take the first few pictures.

That was the point in which Soonyoung had burst into the room. He'd been greeted, naturally, with the sight of Junhui straddling Minghao's hips as he took photos of the lovebites that littered his neck, and his expression had simply hardened. Junhui jumped up right away, only serving to show that he knew what was coming next, but Minghao only sat up. He didn't know whether he wanted to be involved with that discussion but he knew that it wasn't going to be taken elsewhere. Not when the pair were looking at each other like that.

"Junhui, I quit," Soonyoung said simply, his voice suggesting that he was feeling more defeated than his words were showing. Silence. The artist stared back at him without even opening his mouth a fraction. There was disappointment plastered on his face, but it was clear that he'd expected that response. Still, he carefully removed the camera from his chest - out of courtesy of Soonyoung's immediate wariness - and placed down on the desk in a way that prevented it from making too much noise in the process. "Well?" Soonyoung continued. His voice was trembling slightly. Minghao didn't know what to make of it. It was unclear whether he had announced his decision out of hurt or whether he was scared of the reaction when Junhui was acting that way. "Aren't you going to say something?"  
"It was just a matter of time. I know what I did and I expected you to come here and say this to me." Junhui's tone seemed to reflect his words. Minghao winced. Soonyoung, on the other hand, blew up right away.

It was something that Minghao would never forget. He'd never seen such pure rage explode out of a person like that, and he absolutely hated it. Soonyoung's eyes narrowed and he swallowed hard as he braced himself. Then it had hit all at once and at full force. He stormed over to where Junhui was standing and began to lecture him. It had already been ten days since he'd done what he did and yet, he chose not to apologise for the way he'd treated him in the first place - after the outing with Minghao - nevermind apologising for sleeping with his boyfriend when he knew they weren't in the right position to be doing that. There was force hurled with each word - whether it was shouted or not - but Junhui didn't flinch once. He waited it out in silence again, his eyes flickering between Soonyoung's eyes and forehead, and even his blinking slowed. That only served to make things even worse as he began digging deeper and deeper. It was territory that he would surely regret soon enough, but for now, it was pouring out much faster than his brain could process it.

Then he stopped. All of a sudden, just completely quiet. The rage left his face and he stared back at Junhui with a new-found look of pain. "And you really don't care, huh? It doesn't matter to you that I'm feeling hurt by all of this?"  
"I care. I just don't have anything to say in response."  
"Not even an apology?"  
"Well, it looks inauthentic when you're asking me to give you one." Only at that point did Minghao step in to hiss in Junhui's direction that he needed to apologise even if it sounded that way. Junhui seemed unimpressed by the sudden addition of his opinion but that seemed to be what Soonyoung wanted, so he let it slide.

"I'm sorry for how I spoke to you," he finally said, his tone blander than Minghao ever imagined it being. It _did_ sound inauthentic and forced. "I understand that it hurt you and I didn't want to do that. I simply wanted to make you realise how I was feeling when I noticed that you'd all gone behind my back after I'd specifically asked you all not to see Minghao for the week, and it made me feel as if you didn't care about my feelings." That was when he stopped. Soonyoung stared at him expectantly. The artist remained silent for a while longer, but then finally added a remark about how he hadn't intended on taking Seokmin to the bedroom either. It had been a spur-of-the-moment decision and he thoroughly regretted it. Or so, he said.

Admittedly, it didn't seem as if he was sorry. Minghao could see that much. That much surpassed the anticipated level of inauthenticity and reached a new level entirely. It seemed as if he was sorry that he'd been caught out and that he'd done something that was ultimately going to get him in trouble. He knew how Soonyoung was going to react, and he knew that it was only a matter of time before his model found out about the fact that they'd ended up in bed together one last time, despite the conflicts that had come up in the past about that sort of thing.

Soonyoung seemed to have that sense, too. He took in each of Junhui's features in turn, his expression becoming neutral as he stared in silence. Finally, he opened his mouth to speak. His voice came out soft and calm, which only served to show the extent of the anger that he was feeling again. It had surpassed the point of yelling and was now scarily relaxed. "Minghao deserves so much better than this," he said. Each word was clear and confident as the trembling had stopped, and that alone was enough to make Minghao's chest tighten with a feeling of anxiety. "You're a disappointment to this whole studio. The past six months have been sour attempts at climbing out of the hole you dug for yourself because you think you're so beautiful that everyone wants a piece of you. Yet, you preach that your models should have inner beauty and it has become clear that it's to make up for your rotten interior."

The way he'd said it was so serious that Minghao didn't doubt that he was speaking from deep down. For a guy who was usually goofy and fun-loving, he'd never once expected to see that side to him. And sure, Soonyoung could have his serious moments. As could anyone, really. But in all the time that Minghao had known him, he hadn't really expected such pain and distrust and _ferocity_ to come out of someone like him.

He had a sense that it had been building up for some time. It seemed like every ounce of pain that Junhui had created was all coming to a head at once, like a mountain being formed in front of their eyes. It likely didn't help that Soonyoung supposedly had feelings for Junhui too, Minghao mused, and the whole situation left everything shattering in front of his eyes. Then, when he was certain that Junhui would apologise properly for his behaviour - and _Minghao_ had expected that too, considering Junhui's reaction to his own actions when he had followed the artist to the roof and discussed it with him - it had come out defensive and cold. Admittedly, it was more likely that he'd grown defensive after being shouted at, but that didn't mean that it was _right_ to speak to his model how he had done.

Once he'd finished speaking, Soonyoung turned and left, leaving Junhui looking as if he'd been stabbed through to his core. He'd obviously been expecting the backlash, but probably not quite that hard.

"I think we should finish up for today," he said after a minute. "I want to be alone." Minghao nodded and helped him to clear up the room, then promptly made his way back to his room. He made sure to send Soonyoung a message to apologise on Junhui's behalf and ask if everything was okay between him and Seokmin. That was when Soonyoung confessed that they'd broken up over the disagreement. It was one of the reasons why he'd lost his temper so quickly and he'd regretted that much as soon as he left the studio.

He'd broken down and cried almost all the way back to his university campus, he said. A lot of the things that came out of his mouth became regretful little bubbles of guilt in the pit of his stomach as soon as the fresh air had hit his face, and he'd never felt so awful about the way he'd spoken to someone else in his entire life.

Apparently, though, they had broken up more over the distrust, rather than the fact that Seokmin had taken Junhui to bed - which was a relief as far as Minghao was concerned. They both knew that the other was seeing Junhui still but they'd decided to take a step back after everything that had gone on between Junhui and Minghao. It felt as if they were stepping on his toes, Soonyoung admitted, and that was something that neither of them wanted to threaten, especially when they knew that things were tense between Junhui and Minghao in the first place. And yet, Seokmin had apparently changed his mind with no warning and went back on their agreement.

Minghao felt pretty bad about that. He couldn't help but think that it was his fault - after all, it was like a chain reaction, all because he'd grown jealous of the fact that Junhui suddenly seemed to be obsessed with Samuel back when he first arrived at the studio. All he could really do was hope that things would sort themselves out soon enough because the last thing he needed was for more conflict to come out of his poor decisions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ya I've been gone for a really long time and this chapter isn't what I wanted it to be. I'll be honest, I'm not in a great place right now for a ton of reasons (especially having to go cold turkey on my meds then readjust to having them when we were allowed to go back to the hospital, plus the fact that today marks eight weeks in my apartment) and there's nothing I can do about it, so I figured I'd write and just ignore proofreading this time because I can't bring myself to do it. Sorry that it's kind of a garbage chapter as a result but hey, the next chapter can only get better...
> 
> For everyone else in a bad place right now too, I really hope that everything gets easier for you. It's not great but it should go up soon enough. Try not to read the news too much and have some time for yourselves sometimes.
> 
> Love as always, Camel <3

**Author's Note:**

> I know I have other fics to complete
> 
> I know I wasn't gonna start this until I'd finished them
> 
> Alas, you guys know what I'm like, so are you really surprised?
> 
> It's the long-awaited long-shot of that one Fetplay chapter, as requested, with a few slightly different details and themes, so hopefully it lives up to the hype of that chapter haha
> 
> Enjoy!! <3 Camel


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